A Robin, Red Robin
by DiamondBreak
Summary: Tim Drake can't be Robin anymore, someone else needs it more than him. As Red Robin, he has to turn a group of wayward youths into a team that won't get killed. He had no idea being a leader was a lonely business. Stepping out of the shadows of his mentors, and insecurities, Red Robin opens his new wings to start a journey like no other ever seen. And then there are the Titans.
1. Leaving the Nest

**A Robin**

I wonder how a Robin hears.  
I never yet have seen his ears.  
But I have seen him tip his head  
And pull a worm right out of bed.

888

A Robin, Red Robin 1

When he thought back on it, it all really started with a visit to the circus. Back then, he had been but a five-year-old excited to attend the circus for the very first time. He had watched every single act with wide eyes, but the one that really took his breath away were the Flying Graysons. He had watched them turn in the air as if they truly had wings and engraved every summersault in his memory.

Then, he had seen his first death. His parents had been too shocked at the time to realize their young son had seen it. When they did they tried to shield his eyes, but it was too late. This too had been engraved in his memory. He remembered hearing the young boy crying out for his parents. He would remember his name for a long time and the name of the man that took him in after living through the greatest tragedy of his life.

It had been on a summer day that he finally connected the dots. He had been at the park with his parents when Mr. Freeze attacked. Robin had been the first hero in site and wasted no time in showing his skills after years of training with the Dark Knight. But, he had seen something that was not the Dark Knight in the flips and summersaults. He had seen the Graysons or at least the last one of them. From that point forwards it was easy to connect things and soon had in his hands the information many would kill for. But, he kept it under a lid. He admired the two of them for what they were doing and decided he should help too.

So, young Tim Drake took it into himself to abolish crimes, but using a very different set of tools. He was a genius and so in little time he was fighting crime through the web. Taking down scams that ripped families apart, hackers who were after very dangerous information, and sometimes even delivering online proof to the authorities to take down criminals that otherwise would have gone on free. It had been this last that really got him into trouble, but it could be said in his favor that his mind had been scattered.

His parents had gone on a cruise to rekindle their dying marriage. The ship had been taken hostage by pirates and many of the hostages killed, his mother among them. He wanted to be mad at Batman for not arriving in time, but couldn't when he noticed the second Robin was nowhere to be found. Something had been off with the Batman and Nightwing. Now that he was much more familiar with death he guessed the worst had happened and neither of them knew how to deal with it. So, neglecting his online crusade he sought out the Batman with an offer he didn't fully understand at the time.

Of course, after the loss of his last Robin the man refused and sent him home. However, when he got home that night, things were too quiet. It seemed in his distraction he had left a trail back to him and had made him place his father in danger. In the end, he and his father ended up with bruises, but they had been saved by Batman. Reluctantly at first to keep Tim out of trouble on his own, he allowed Tim to join them.

He wished it had been the end of it, but it was not. After a few years, his father found out the truth and tried to make him stop. He refused to listen and kept going on missions. In the end, when he was out saving people, he missed to keep one. It had been a simple robbery gone wrong. His father had tried to stop the burglar from going into his room and finding his secret. That got him two shots to the chest. He hated being the logical kind because he knew it was no one's fault. It had just been an accident. No one put the man into burgling their home. The man now rotting in jail had no idea he was Robin. And he didn't know that by insisting on going to the circus all those years ago he would discover one of the greatest secrets in history.

Bruce had taken him in just like he had taken Richard and Jason. Now he was just like them but not so.

888

He entered the cave in the Supercycle. It had been an exhausting past few days and he was ready to collapse. He guessed Batman was out on patrol as the cave was empty. It was just as fine. He didn't feel like talking to the man about what he and his friends would be doing next. As usual, he guessed Batman knew they would do this, but it didn't make it easier for anyone.

They had gone against the League and the Team. He, Kid Flash, Superboy and Blue Beetle had gone to Bart's time to help. They had succeeded and returned safely, but their elders couldn't let go of their actions even though they were based on what they taught them. When they stood before the League to be judged, they didn't give them a chance. They quit their affiliation to the League and the Team just a few hours ago and now he was returning from a mission in Smallville.

He looked at the sample he had taken from the alien parasite. If there were more of them, they would find them.

"Nightwing to cave," the main screen came up, "Robin! What are you doing there?"

"I live here," he said meekly taking the main chair. He was exhausted and didn't care to keep appearances. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, yeah," Nightwing said scratching the back of his head, "there's someone in the cave."

"Who?" he asked wondering if they might be upstairs. Alfred wasn't one to leave a guest without a snack.

"It is difficult to explain. A few hours ago Talia showed up at the port and-" and then the screen went off.

He stood up on high alert unfolding his staff. He held it ready to hit the enemy with all his might. The lights around the cave started to flicker. He felt like laughing for he already knew who it was. Their one-week trip to Bart's future had led them to find quite a few secrets. It was in the drafts of the cave. They were unnatural and too silent. His chest tightened once he sensed the boy watching him. He was good, but he didn't know him like he did.

He jumped from the spot where a pair of shuriken would have hit him.

"I know it's you… Damian," he said before he heard a clenching of teeth. He threw a pair of birdarangs to the ceiling before hearing the clang of metal with metal. Swords? Leave it to Talia to give the kid swords. Now that he knew where to start he followed the small shadow sneaking on the top.

"Two can play that game, Tim Drake," a young voice called from the shadows.

"You had the computer to find that out. I just came in," he laughed hoping to throw him off even further. Every time he talked he got a better sense of who he was at this age.

"Don't think so much of yourself!" the boy jumped towards him in rage.

"Follow your own advice!" he said blocking the sword with his staff. The ten-year-old boy reached into his belt to throw something at him. He knocked the sword off his hand taking advantage of his divided attention. He then took hold of his wrist ready to pin him down, but the young boy twisted his body to plant a kick on his chest and then place space between them. They faced each other in the light for the first time.

He didn't know if he should be furious or impressed. The kid was wearing Todd's old costume, plus a few adjustments. It was clear the kid was out for the position.

"You are dead," Damian said with a sneer.

"Definitely Talia's kid," he sighed, "I guess Batman hasn't had the chance to tell you, but we don't do things like that around here. And where did you get that?"

"Where you think?" Damian said pointing at the now naked manikin.

"Alfred is going to be so mad," sighed Tim, "so let me guess. You want to fight crime alongside your dad."

"Don't patronize me," the ten-year-old said with a glare.

"I am not, but I am right," he said reaching for his mask and taking it off, "it's all yours. I am moving out."

"You are running away? I knew you were a coward unfit for-" the kid said with a smirk.

"Don't get me wrong," Tim said going back to sit on the chair. Damian remained in a fighting stance but seemed unnerved at seeing the teen relax on the chair. "This place is great, and working with Batman, the Team, and the League is also great, but I am moving on to something else and for that I have to leave. I am actually glad that you made it here now."

"If you are trying to earn my trust, be aware that I trust no one," Damian said finally dropping the fighting stance and going to pick up his sword.

"I could care less for your trust," Tim said, "but I want you to look after Batman."

"He is Batman," Damian laughed as if that was answer enough.

"Human, like you and I," Tim reminded him, "he needs a good partner to watch his back, a partner he can trust. I don't know what Talia has taught you, but that is the real foundation for what we do here."

"And here I thought you would be tearing each other's throats out," Nightwing said driving into the cave on his motorcycle, "Sphere here? Well, this night is just full of fun, isn't?"

"Damian, the name is-," Nightwing said extending his hand to shake with the boy.

"Richard Grayson, I know," Damian said turning away from him.

"And aren't you just full of cheer?" Nightwing said before addressing Tim, "What happened to you?"

"Alien parasite in Smallville," he told him before showing him the sample, "and him."

"Who said we were over?" Damian said brandishing his sword.

"Later, I am off," Tim said going up the stairs.

"I am the new Robin," he heard Damian tell Nightwing.

He didn't wait to hear what Nightwing would respond. Damian would tell him everything. Tomorrow, he knew Richard would seek him out to find out what he planned to do.

888

When he woke up, it was to a breakfast set on his bed. He was definitely going to miss this.

"Master Tim, nice to see you return safe and sound," Alfred said already serving him a cup of tea.

"Glad to be back," he said digging in. He checked the time and saw he had to start working soon. They had agreed to talk to Jason the next weekend, but that didn't mean he was going sit idle until then.

"Master Bruce would like to speak to you after breakfast. It seems he wants to talk to you about something young master Damian told him when he returned last night," Alfred said handing him the cup.

"Is he driving you crazy yet?" Tim asked him with a smile.

"From the moment he entered the cave," Alfred said also with a smile, "but he looks so much like Master Bruce as a child. I knew who he was the moment I saw him."

"He might have been raised by Talia, but I am sure Bruce will be able to take him through the right path," Tim said.

"I really hope you are right Master Tim," Alfred said before leaving him to his breakfast.

888

He was not surprised to find Damian at the cave with Bruce. The kid was once again wearing the Robin customer and attacking imaginary enemies all over the place with his sword. Bruce was definitely not getting the award for the father of the year. He found the Batman going over the file of the Falcone family. He didn't bother to turn around as Tim made his presence known.

"You are leaving," it was not a question but an understanding of what Damian had told him.

"Yes, in a day or two," he said looking at the old file.

"There can only be one Robin," he said stopping working and turning to look at him.

"And his place is next to Batman," Tim said calmly. "He is a good kid."

"You barely know him," Batman said with a frown.

"I have met him before," he said taking out his phone before getting a picture he had taken. He showed it to the Dark Knight who didn't bother to hide his surprise.

"That's him?" the picture was of him and an adult Damian. The resemblance was incredible.

"Yeah, one of the five leaders of that time and a good man though a little rough around the edges. He was raised by Talia alone in that time but turned from trying to conquer the world to try to save it," he said before deleting the picture. Both knew it was for the best.

"Where will you go?" he asked.

"San Francisco," he said from the top of his mind though he then realized it was the best choice. There were a lot fewer heroes operating from the West coast.

"On the other side of the country, aren't you taking the whole separation a bit too literal?" Dick said entering the cave.

"The farther, the better if you ask me," Damian said.

"And no one did," Dick said walking up to Tim, "are you sure?"

"More than sure," Tim said, "I have to get some things ready. I will be upstairs if you need me."

He left knowing they had a lot of questions about what he and the other would do. He would eventually tell them… when he had an idea of where they were going. Besides being a team and helping those who needed he believed they were meant to do something else. It was staring straight at him and he couldn't tell for his life what it was. He jumped from the bed just in time to evade Damian breaking through his ceiling and landing with a pair of Sais.

"I am busy, go away," he said moving with his laptop to his desk.

"Not until we finish what we started yesterday," Damian said jumping from the bed to launch at him.

Tim slid his chair to the side so that Damian crashed against his desk, knocking the air out of his lungs in the process. He grabbed a book from his bookshelf and hit Damian on the head with it.

"What was that?" Damian said rubbing the top of his head.

"I hit you with a book, what else?" he said finding a little curious that the boy found the action so surprising. He wondered how to grow up with the League of Assassins was like.

"But why?" he asked still rubbing his head though Tim was sure he had received harsher knocks to the noggin while being raised by Talia.

"Because, I don't want to fight you; I have a lot to do, and you should get some rest before you try to follow Bruce tonight. And don't attempt to deny that's what you are going to do. He probably already told you to not interfere tonight and so on," he said returning to his search for an apartment.

"Hmph," Damian turned around with his chin held high and left the room, but not before throwing him a glare.

"Chip off the old block, isn't he?" Dick said entering the room after Damian left. "How much you want to bet he will need saving tonight?"

"What do you think of this place?" he asked him no longer wanting to talk about the kid. He showed him an apartment.

"Mission Bay? Isn't that kind of blunt?" Dick asked as he looked at the other pictures of the flat, "and sunny. Good luck wearing your costume in the middle of summer."

"Good luck in Blüdhaven," Tim said, "I believe their crime rate will keep you quite busy."

"You haven't told anyone yet, have you?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Not yet," Tim said with a smile. He had been monitoring the League's inner communications and that little bit had slipped on a few conversations. The League usually took turns looking after Blüdhaven, but they realized they needed someone there all the time to get used to the inner workings. Nightwing had volunteered to be that someone. At the top of that there was another bit of news that told them everything was changing. Aquaman was leaving the League to spend more time in Atlantis as a ruler and also as a father. Recently, they had been attacked and the young Atlantean prince had almost fallen into the clutches of his resentful uncle. Kaldur was to take his place as Aquaman.

"Who will lead the Team?"

"Like you don't know already," Dick laughed, "M'gann says she will do it only until someone better takes the place. That's going to be a long wait unless you or Superboy comes back."

"You know we are not changing our minds," Tim said as he continued to browse for an apartment. He had grown in such a dark city, he actually felt curious to explore life on the sunny side.

"It was worth a try," Dick said with a shrug.

888 A few days later 888

He leaned over the rail of his new apartment. It was a still very new building so he had no trouble adding a few things here and there such as movement sensors and cameras. The sun was setting and he felt the last rays warm his skin. In the past, he would be getting his gear ready, but not that night. He was tired of the move and fending Damian off the past few days. Tonight, he would work from behind his screen.

He started monitoring the Metas Blue and Kid Flash had freed in case someone else started collecting them. Most of them were happy to stay in contact with them in case they started getting captured again. They had also reported the incident to the League, and Wonder Woman, who was working with Department of Metahuman Affairs. Even with all those eyes on them, he made sure to keep close contact with them. It also helped that they were building together a network of information. Some of them were going to join what was being called the Justice League International (though he believed they needed to get a better name), and were hoping for them to join them. He didn't tell them he and his friends were free agents, but he was sure they could work something out if needed.

He leaned back and listened for a moment to the sound of the waves not far away. He needed to gather his thoughts because he believed he knew what their team's mission was. But, they would not be able to do it on their own. This was a task much greater than anything they had tried. Then again, they had done the impossible before and come back. He returned to the balcony and set his eyes on the waterline. They had to get started soon.


	2. Amazing Sights

A Robin, Red Robin 2

The night was warm, a lot warmer than he could ever remember experiencing. It reminded him of Dick's warning about the costume. That was something he would make sure to think about when he got his own.

"What was that?"

He wished he had a costume he could call his own now, but there were things that couldn't be done simply from behind a screen. He had caught upwind of it while tracking underage girls looking for trouble on the internet. He had thought of just telling the authorities about it.

"You hear things; now load those whores into the truck. We don't have much time."

"Move whores!" the man shouted before the frightened cries of women could be heard.

But sometimes it was just better to give them what they deserved. The loading bay was empty for exception of a few armored human traffickers and the women they held prisoners. They were in the process of moving them from the ship containers into trucks.

"I swear man, something doesn't feel right."

"You spent too much time in Gotham," one of the other men said, "There are no bats here."

Was he still a bat? Well, there were things that could not be shed with the costume.

"The damn truck won't start!"

"Pop up the hood," and inside they found there was no longer a motor but a greenish corrosive goo.

"What the hell?!"

"This can't be happening! Not again!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Robin, the Robin!"

"You mean Batman's little sidekick?" the other thug laughed, "just load them in the other truck and we can get going."

"I swear is him! I heard the same happened to my pal Freud!" he placed his gun on the ground, "I don't care if you believe me man! I am done with this job!" and then he started to run.

"Get your ass back here Jack! I did your bro a big favor by including you in this gig!" he shouted at the running Jack before something made him stumble and fall into the shadows, "Jack?"

"He is he-" Jack started to shout before they heard the sound of someone being hit.

"Shit," the boss of the operation said picking up Jack's gun. "Move them to the other truck and let's get out of here!"

They pushed and shoved the women all into one truck after checking the truck's engine was fine. It was as he had planned. He truck would give them some protection for what was going to happen.

"The lot of you run to James' place and stay there until I tell you otherwise," the boss said as he ran to the driver's seat. He wouldn't give them the chance to reach James' place but would make sure to ask them about it. He landed among the running mob and knocked them off their feet with his staff in a fraction of a second. He landed well-placed hits on their hands fracturing bones so they couldn't pick up the guns and then some more on their head to disorient them.

"Just who the hell are you supposed to be?" the boss said pointing his gun at him.

"I am whatever the world needs me to be, and right now that is the guy that will kick your ass," he said still nameless. He wore a black mask, a red jacket, and black pants, but nothing that would give him a name.

"We don't need any vigilantes." The man sneered at him before opening fire. He jumped to the side as the sound of screams of the frightened women and the bullets filled his ears. He ran in the opposite direction of the truck, and sure enough he followed away from the women. The moment he needed to reload Tim used his birdarangs to knock the gun away and then he rushed in and knocked the man out. He was quick to dispatch the rest of the men and then locked them in the truck.

He helped the women out as he spoke words of kindness in their native languages. They came from many different parts of the world and had gone through the worst of ordeals. They were there for many reasons but none of them good. Some were the same age as him and even younger, and they were more scarred than him after years of crime fighting. He listened to them and only listened as they poured their hearts out to a complete stranger. He wasn't sure if they would have done the same if he hadn't been the one to save them.

He sat with them until the sirens of police cars could be heard. When he stood from among them but one elderly hand took hold of his hand and placed something on it.

"_I can't take this," _he tried to return it to her. One of the first rules Batman had taught him was to never accept any type of reward.

"_Yes, you can. As long as you are breathing, as long as there is a new day, you are just beginning," _she said with a smile that had not been broken by her hardship.

Before he could reply, a police car came into view. He merely nodded to the old woman and then left into the shadows. Once he got home and with better lighting he gave a closer look at what the woman had given him. It was a black square stone with a red robin painted on it. He couldn't help laughing as he placed the stone on his pocket and fell on his back to get a few hours of sleep on the couch. The next day would be a long day.

888

Mission Bay was the sunny, so sunny that his friends were tempted to ditch the whole idea to look for Jason and just spend the weekend there. They all had a rough week. This was clear when Conner arrived first and told him of what he had found about Dr. Spencer and the real organization behind his creation; N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and their leader Harvest. There were still many pieces missing in the puzzle, but they were a lot farther than before.

"Can we just spend the day here?" Bart said coming in. He looked tired after having Central City all to himself. It seemed on the last day before Flash returned, Grodd decided to attack the city with his ape army. He had been able to contain the attack with Blue and Booster's help. Still, this only allowed him to have a few hours of sleep, and a sleepy Bart was not a nice Bart.

"That would be awesome," Jaime said following closely with messy bed hair.

"You two get some breakfast," Conner said with a tired smile of his own, "and you can sleep on the Supercycle on the way there."

"Dibs on everything!" Bart called before attacking the kitchen.

"Wait a moment!" Jaime said hurrying after him.

"I heard about what you did last night, but why did they only call you a vigilante? And who is that kid in Gotham?"

"I will tell you on the way," he said feeling the previous week had lasted a whole year.

888

"So, who are you going to be now is Damian got his little claws on the name?" Kid Flash asked him as they traveled towards the island where the Red Hood and the rest of the Outlaws lived.

"No idea," Tim said sincerely.

"Oh, I know! What about Night Bird! Or maybe The Demonic Munchkin!" Bart said with more energy after ransacking Tim's kitchen.

"Because you are so tall?" Tim said leaning from the top of the Super-Cycle and slapped Bart on the top of the head.

"Sadly enough that last one is already taken," Superboy told them as he flew next to the Super-Cycle.

"You are kidding, right?" Blue said in a half sleep state, "Thank God for hand down names."

"You could always change it to the _Escarabajo?_ In your home town, they seem to like it well enough." Kid laughed before getting a slap from Blue on the back of the head, "if this going to become a thing, that is not crash."

"Look how much I care," Blue said before going back to sleep, "damn Booster."

"Aww man, that is a story," Kid said pocking Blue on the cheek before his armor tried to zap him, "turns out Booster is a heck of an actor. He is actually a cool guy."

"I will believe it when I see it," Superboy said who just like Tim had heard nothing good about the guy.

However, he didn't think Bart heard him. The kid was snoring a few moments later.

"You can go to sleep too," Superboy told him, "I will wake you when the island comes into sight."

He leaned back and got a well-deserved rest but not without first touching the stone in his pocket. Sadly, he didn't feel like he slept even an hour when Superboy shook him awake. He stretched as he stared ahead at what was the most beautiful tropical island he had ever seen, and his friends were of the same opinion.

"Do you think old Jason would let us have a barbecue here?" Kid Flash said leaning forwards with wide eyes.

"And maybe we could ask him to let us invite the League and our families too," Jaime said rolling his eyes.

They landed on the beach where Superboy instructed Sphere to remain until they returned.

"Something doesn't feel right," Blue said forming a cannon.

It was too quiet, not one bird was singing. The sun was shining at its brightest and for a moment it wasn't the heat of a tropical island but a desert. He knew they were walking right into a trap, but by the way Superboy and Blue Beetle were acting, they had absolutely no idea of where it would come from.

"From below!" Superboy shouted just in time to lift him and Kid Flash off the white sand. Mechanical arms had been an inch close from clasping around them. The animals and birds that had been missing before came out of the greenery to attack them. As they tried to reach for them, they saw they were nothing but mechanical imitations filled with sharp metallic and poisonous fangs.

"Those things are scrambling my sensors," Blue said as he started blasting at what would have been birds had their peaks not been able to break through metal.

"They are emitting some type of scrambling signal," Superboy said pulling the metal tentacles out of the sand and then melting them with his heat vision. Beads of sweat started to form on his brow.

"Is affecting you too?" Tim asked with wide eyes. They rarely ever saw Superboy like that. He knew Kryptonians had sensible hearing, but he didn't imagine it extended to his friend.

"More reason to rip them a new one!" Kid said vibrating himself off Superboy's physic hold and then starting to deliver as much damage as he could.

Between the four of them they had the mechanical monstrosities turned into a pile scrap.

"Should we guess we are not welcome?" Kid Flash asked kicking one of the now destroyed machines.

"You think?" Blue said as he scanned for any more machines generating the same frequencies. "This place is full of them, and they are all coming this way; we should leave right now."

"We are not," Tim said as he started walking forwards. He knew this was not meant to harm them. They would need a lot more if that's what they wished for.

"What is he doing?" Kid asked.

"Let's go," Superboy said flying after him, but keeping his guard up.

"If we are going, we better make it fast," Blue said before he too followed.

"Fine!" Kid threw his arms ups giving up and following too.

He knew they were all at unease, even Superboy, who could be scared by very little. Here he was, the only one without anything special but his mind and wits leading them through an island inhabited by The Outlaws and their army of killer robots. Still, he knew Jason had not called them here just because he felt like murdering them. He had his rough patches just like all of them, but he was not crazy.

"Over there!" Kid said rushing ahead to where a figure laid on the sand. They all followed as fast as they could and wondering what would be the next surprise.

"Oh wow," Blue said with a smile though he kept his distance "you don't think she needs CPR, do you?"

Kid seemed at a loss for what to do with the sight in front of him.

On the sand, being brushed gently by the waves, laid Starfire. She was as beautiful as they had led to believe. She had the figure a model would kill for. Her clothing left very little to the imagination, and her tangerine skin and bright red hair did nothing but add to her unearthly beauty. He wished he had more than his mask to cover his eyes to hide his blush.

"I am not even sure Tamaranean need air," Superboy said kneeling down and touching her neck to check for a pulse. He was the only one to seem unfazed by what most human men would find undeniably attractive. Tim was thankful for this because it made him realize Starfire was in a not very human state. Her eyes were wide open but completely black.

"Is she okay?" Kid asked snapping out of the trance as well.

"She doesn't have a pulse," Superboy said with a frown, "but she is not dead."

"Khaji-Da has almost no information on Tamaraneans," Blue said keeping his distance, "there is a good reason for that."

And suddenly her eyes changed to bright green. She took hold of Superboy, who was closest to her by the back of his neck and pulled him down as she lifted her head. She planted her lips on his as he struggled to pull back, but the Tamaranean princess was also as tough as they had heard. She kept him a lip lock for ten seconds until Superboy's temper got the best of him. He blasted her and they back with a telekinetic wave. She stared at him with narrowed shining green eyes, and he glared back with red ones.

"You are a strange one, most men are rather happy to receive a greeting from me," she said floating towards them, "is it because you are a copy?"

"Don't let her rattle you," Tim said fast seeing where this was going, "she is a stranger to this world like Superman once was."

"That's-" but Superboy stopped whatever he was going to say and took a deep breath. His eyes stopped shining fiery red. He looked at Starfire with determination and then said, "no, simply not all of those living in this planet appreciate such a breach of personal space."

"Roy did mention something of the sort," she said before turning to the rest of the team, "what about you?"

"I am fine," Tim couldn't help smirking when she stopped to stare at him. Though he and Nightwing were not related by blood, she could tell there was something familiar about him. She lost that warrior confidence for a moment before turning to easier targets.

"My armor will probably try to attack you, so I am fine," Blue said though not unregretful.

"And you?" she said once again breaching personal space by placing her face only two inches from Kid's.

"I am – I am…" but he didn't get to finish before she placed a quick peck on his lips.

"I believe that is a yes," she said with a kind smile before placing another kiss on his forehead. Kid opened his mouth to say something, but he could only stammer a few incoherent syllables before Tim decided to spare him any further suffering.

"We are here to see Jason," Tim said walking up to Starfire.

She just nodded before she started flying. They followed her closely into the depths of the island until a strange mountain came into view. Soon, they realized it was not a mountain but a metallic structure.

"Look," Kid Flash said after regaining his speech capabilities. On the side of the metallic structure, it read 'S.S. Starfire.'

"This is a spaceship?" Superboy frowned before closing his eyes but then flinched. He looked at them with a worried look, "I can't get a reading on it. Something is interfering with my senses."

"Also with Khaji-Da," Blue Beetle said pulling his hand away from a panel he had tried to hack.

"We are not going in there blindingly, are we?" Kid Flash asked as they lost sight of Starfire, who had gone ahead without waiting for them.

"If Tim says we do, we will," Superboy said looking at Tim expectantly.

"Why does it have to be what he says?" Kid Flash said wrinkling his nose, "you have been doing this longer than us." The last he said to Superboy.

The boy of steel raised a brow at Kid Flash and then at Blue, who seemed unsure of what to say. Then he took a deep breath and then said, "I appreciate the thought Kid, but I am simply not the leader type. That's Tim."

Kid turned to Blue to get him say something.

"Um," Blue Beetle rubbed his forehead before saying as calmly as he could, "I agree. Tim did great when we traveled to your time and that was no walk in the park."

"So I guess unanimous, he is our leader," Kid Flash with a tired smile. Tim had expected more of a fight from him, but it seemed he had overestimated his friends. They all appeared to have been thinking about this for a while.

"Let's go then," he said as they entered the S.S. Starfire.

Blue Beetle was able to follow the energy signature Starfire left behind through the maze of corridors and rooms. In the way, they spotted many machines roaming the place, not much different than the ones that attacked them on the beach. However, this time the trinkets only stopped to observe them for a fraction of a second before going on.

"Is it me, or do you get the feeling we are being watched?" Kid Flash said as he spotted a tiny spider-like robot on the sealing following them, "are these things alien?"

"The materials are from Earth though the technology is too advanced," Superboy said as he floated ahead of them in case something unexpected came their way.

"She is ahead," Blue said as they reached a door which Superboy pushed open. They had expected many things, but not what was before them. A grand hall was in front of them filled with a banquet.

"Took you long enough," a man with his feet on the table said as he leaned dangerously back on a chair.

"Arsenal?" Superboy was the first one to react.

It was indeed Arsenal, but he looked a lot different than the last time they saw him. He wore a different costume with a high collar, no sleeves compiled of various shades of reds and yellow lined arrows on the side of his ribs. At the top of that he had abandoned the shaved head look and allow his hair to grow until it reached the nape of his neck. Then there was the trucker hat.

The more they stared at him, the harder it was to believe this was the same guy that had been freed from his pod two years ago. His arms were covered with countless tattoos of skulls, snakes, and women. But the strangest thing of all was that he no longer looked as if he was out to inflict pain in the world. He looked relaxed, if not pleased to see them. The only thing that seemed to remain the same was the domino mask. Nope, Tim thought, even the domino mask was different for he saw the white lenses were not just that. There was circuitry on the lenses, not much different than the type Batman used.

"Don't look so happy to see me," he said pulling himself up from the chair and walking up to them.

"Where is Jason?" Tim asked stepping in front of the man.

"Hm," Arsenal raised an eyebrow at him in wonder and when he saw that the rest didn't speak he chuckled. "Well, I guess you bats all have a knack for taking over."

"Answer the question," Tim said.

"He is taking nap. Starfire went to wake him up to join us. But I am pretty sure they won't join for a while if you know what I mean," he laughed as he turned away from them and then motioned at the feast. "Go ahead and eat, though I can't assure you all is edible. Star is still getting used to Earthling cuisine. She keeps using her energy blasts to try to get everything cooked faster."

Arsenal returned to his chair and then Tim saw, and admonished himself for not noticing before, that Arsenal was working on a little spider-like machine.


	3. Counter Attack

A Robin, Red Robin 3

"Don't be shy. Make yourselves at home," Arsenal said leaning back on his chair again as he finished working on his spider-like creation. He placed it on the table and a few moments it was scurrying away from the room, but not without bumping into a wall first. Arsenal was the only laughing at seeing his invention's behavior.

"You made those things?" Kid asked as his anger closed to overtake him.

"Yeah, in case of an unwelcome visitor, you know?" he gave them a short glare, the only clue that this was the same Arsenal they had once known.

"Why did Jason called us here?" Tim asked as he took a seat across from Arsenal. The rest had looked unsure for a moment before they sat, but none of them touched the food.

"Not the slightest," Arsenal said as he pulled out a knife and cut off the leg off a bird before starting to eat it. There was an uncomfortable silence as Arsenal ate, until Kid and then the rest joined him. As Arsenal warned them, there was some food that was not edible. He wondered if Arsenal or maybe Jason had cooked the rest, but the idea seemed ridiculous. Maybe the robots, that seemed like a more likely scenario in that mad house.

"You actually don't age," they all turned to the door where they spotted a man dressed in dark cargo pants, soldier boots, a gray shirt and brown leather jacket. On his head was a red helmet. He was followed closely by Starfire as they went to take their seats at the table, "thought you said you would never wear the tights."

"Is a special suit," Superboy said not glancing on the Red Hood's way. Superboy was the only one of them that actually knew him back when he was Robin. For what he understood, they didn't get along well back then.

"Isn't it always?" the Rood Hood laughed before placing his hands on the back of his helmet. There was the sound of gears before the helmet opened on the back and the Jason removed it. His face was young, lean and some might even say pretty. His features were sharp, in the way that said he was not that much older than Tim, but not as much as Richard. For someone that had died violently and brought back to life in the same way, he looked very comfortable with himself.

"Why did you call us here?" Tim asked getting to the point. Jason had too been trained by Batman, and he knew he probably had other plans for them besides eating.

"Hello, pleased to see you again Tim Drake," Jason said in a polite if not mocking tone. Of course, Tim had no reason to be happy to see him. The one and only previous encounter he had with the Red Hood was when he knocked him out and took him as a hostage, or so he was told. The Red Hood looked at each one of them with a raised eyebrow, "you didn't teach them the rule?"

"Oh right!" Arsenal said removing his domino mask, "C'mon guys. The boss doesn't like masks at the table. He thinks is rude," he said the last part rolling his eyes.

Jason removed his domino mask too to reveal green eyes. There was no doubt this was the same Jason Todd he had read about and years ago looked out to replace. Suddenly, he felt like an intruder before the other young man but was fast to remind himself that Batman had not chosen him for the role. He had pushed himself into the mess, where Jason was selected. He didn't feel like eating anymore as he too removed his domino mask. The two of them stared at each other sizing each other up. Tim knew he did not have the same physical prowess than Jason or Dick, but he was sure as hell smarter. He had done his research on the previous Robin and knew well Jason was to be defeated by tactic, not brute strength if the occasion called for it.

"Reach soldier, take it off," Jason said in a not so friendly tone when Blue didn't remove his helmet.

"I am fine," Blue Beetle said.

"Oh please Reyes," Jason said with a sharp smirk, "there are no secrets here."

Blue's eyes widened before he tilted his head and then shook it.

"What's with him?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His armor is probably telling him to skin you alive because he considers you a threat to Blue and his family," Kid Flash said removing his mask. "I would do something much worse if you even dared look their way."

"I like this kid," laughed Jason, "though Wally was a lot more fun to hang around with. Where is he again?"

Kid didn't bite but merely glared at Jason.

"And here I thought the Flash's grandkid would have a good sense of humor, but I guess the original is always better, right?" Jason said pausing to look at each one of them, telling them with his sharp eyes alone, that he knew they were only copies.

"Enough," Superboy said before the table shook.

"Fine, new suit or not you are still such a stiff," Jason said leaning back but never missing them from his sight.

"Tell us why you have called us here, or we are leaving," Tim said pushing his chair back.

"You are like the old man, aren't you?" Jason said with poison dripping from every syllable.

"Get to the point already Hood, we have more important things to do," like getting a good night sleep, Tim thought tiredly.

"I will get to that, when I get to that," Jason said, "I promise you will be thanking me by the time you leave the island."

"You haven't changed one bit," Superboy said standing up, "this is all a rouse. We are not here to play games Jason."

"Neither am I Kon," Jason said standing too.

"Then get to the point," Superboy sneered at him.

"The point is," Jason said crossing his arms before nodding at Starfire. She pressed something that looked like a detonator. They all bolted to stand ready for a fight, but the only thing that happened was a small rain of confetti. Starfire pulled something into the room before hanging it from the walls.

It was a banner that read 'Congratulations on Leaving Those Stuck up A-Holes.'

"Well, if that doesn't make a point, I don't know what does," Jason said sitting back down.

"Kori, I told you only to write congratulations," Arsenal said removing his hat and running a hand through his hair in desperation.

"Jason said this was good," she said with a smile.

"Of course he would say something like that," Arsenal said also taking a seat.

"Sorry for the rough welcome," Jason said scratching the back of his head. "We really wanted to make it a surprise, and is no secret we don't get along with the League."

"Might have something to do with the body count," Blue Beetle said holding a piece of confetti between his fingers.

"I guess we deserve that," Jason said but not looking one bit regretful.

"I told you it was all a rouse," Superboy said looking at the banner with aversion.

"Then, a partnership is out of the question," Jason said with a not so serious sigh.

"Told you so," Arsenal said, "They are cookie-cutter copies. This is just their rebellious phase; they all go through it. They will be back to the League in a few months just like Nightwing."

"Now, now, the Outsiders had a good run," Jason said with a smirk before it fell away when he saw Starfire's not so bright expression. He turned to them with a gentler smile, "however you kids want to see it, we just wanted to wish you the best of luck. We, all of us, know is not easy to be on your own."

It was a trap, and a second before it was too late he realized what the trigger was. The confetti started to dissolve in the air into a gas. He pulled a gas mask. Blue generated one from his suit for Kid Flash, and since Superboy didn't need to breathe the only thing they had to worry about was fending the Outlaws off until they could leave that damn island.

"Not bad at all," Jason said wearing his red helmet again. Starfire, as they had thought didn't need to breathe, or at least could go without air for a while. Arsenal had a mask over his face too.

"Superboy," was all he needed to tell his friend before Superboy gave the Outlaws a cold stare.

The room started to shake as he forced his senses around them. Whatever had been interfering with his senses before didn't matter anymore. His eyes shone red as he pushed his powers around them and started ripping a hole on the side of the ship.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Arsenal said stepping back.

"Try to stop me," Superboy said before Tim saw Arsenal flinch.

"Superboy stop," Tim said, but it was too late.

She had seemed calm if not indifferent to everything going on around her, but the moment Superboy ripped a hole on the ship her lips turned into a tight line and her eyes started to shine green. A moment later she had blasted him into a wall before tackling him with immense strength. They didn't even hear him gasp as she took him out of the ship. A few seconds later shock waves made ship tremble.

"No one can say I didn't warn him," Arsenal said as he drew an arrow and pointed it at Kid Flash, "now you three behave like good pampered brats and do as we say."

"Riiiight," Blue said generating his stapler gun and pointing it at Arsenal.

"This is too easy," the Red Hood said before throwing something on the feast's table. It was a metallic sphere that started vibrating.

"Wha-" Blue Beetle's staple gun fell apart to pieces before he started holding his head in pain.

"Hold bud," Kid Flash said reaching for the sphere.

"Kid don't!" Tim shouted, but once again he was too late.

"Ahhh!" the sphere ran a shock through Kid's body rendering him unconscious in a few seconds.

Tim ran towards his friend, but then found his arm twisted behind his back. He twisted himself free but only to receive a punch in the face. He didn't allow the pain to distract him and kicked down to throw the Red Hood off balance. Hood jumped over his kick and used his knee to hit Tim on the chin, snapping his head back. He swore he heard his teeth crack as he landed back, knocking the already suffering Blue Beetle to the ground. By then his armor had retreated completely and only a defenseless Jaime remained.

"Hurry, that kid heals fast," the Red Hood told Arsenal, who was already at the top of the table, stepping over their carefully planned feast.

"Leave him alone," Tim said pulling himself up as Arsenal placed what seemed to be an Inhibitor Collar pumped on steroids on Kid Flash. Though unconscious, Kid started to writhe in pain.

"You are pathetic," the Red Hood said landing a kick on Tim's gut. Tim couldn't help but to curl in pain. "You did well on leaving the name Robin behind. You don't deserve it."

"Go- to hell," Tim gasped.

"This would be endearing if you weren't a brat way over his head," the Red Hood said placing a foot on top of Tim's face and putting pressure on it. He heard his gas mask crack. "You think this is painful Timmy? You and I know you don't know true pain," he said placing even more pressure until Tim was screaming in pain. "You are nothing without the old man or your friends looking out for you," he laughed lastly as he removed his foot from his head.

He wanted to tell him it wasn't true, but instead he found himself gasping for air. With his mask cracked he was fighting to stay conscious. He could hear Blue's screams in the background, Kid's whimpers as he tried to vibrate the collar off, and the earth continued to tremble as the fight between Superboy and Starfire continued outside.

"It doesn't matter what you call yourself, the costume that you wear, or who you surround yourself with kid. At the end of the day, you are just a kid."

And those were the last words he remembered hearing before everything went blank.

_**He was a bird flying in arctic winds. He was tired, but there was no land to rest on in the infinite darkness. He couldn't tell if his eyes were really open. It was so dark, he felt as if he was suffocating. Then he was falling. His wings would not open. He was going to die, and then it really dawned on him. He was going to die.**_

He gasped for much needed air. When he woke up, it was on the beach and half buried in the sand. He sat up taking deep breaths and looked around, but there was no one in sight. He checked his equipment; it was all gone, not even his mask could be found. He ran a hand down his face in frustration. How could he have believed Jason had called him here for anything but to wound them! He dug his fingers into the sand before taking a deep breath. Getting angry would not get him anywhere from this point. He had to find the rest, and get them out of there before those maniacs decided to send their robot army after him.

As he stood up, he flinched in pain. Giving his skin a better look he saw he got a sunburn. Who was he kidding? He was the only defenseless one in that place. He fell back on the sand and wondered how fast he could turn into a crisp.

It was only five minutes before he stood up. Self-pity didn't look right on him anyway, he thought taking in his surroundings. He was around the opposite side of the island from where they landed. By the sun's position, about three hours had passed since he was knocked out. He had two choices; make it back to the Supercycle and get help, or find his friends and help them himself. A moment later he was rushing through the wild. He ripped off a part of his black undershirt and turning it into a sling, a small pouch bag for rocks and other things he collected on the way and makeshift mask for his nose and mouth. He ripped the strongest vines he could find and wrapped them around his waist.

He could see the S.S. Starfire from where he was now. When he reached the base of the ship, he could not find a way to enter it. He looked up and resisted a to sigh. It would be quite a climb, but he didn't pause as reached it and started his way up. He knew the ship's outer defenses might try to take him at any moment. It was half way up that the attack didn't come from the ship itself but from Arsenal's mechanical birds. He cursed under his breath as these birds didn't just attack with sharp peaks and claws but also shot tranquilizers. He didn't have a place yet to tie the vines to maneuver in the vertical setting he found himself in. One of the tranquilizers brushed his leg and in a few seconds it went numb. He hurried on his climb as he studied the birds' attack pattern. Three-fourths of the way up another tranquilizer brushed him, and he found himself climbing with only one hand.

He greeted his teeth as he forced his body the rest of the way up until he could stand. He took the sling he created out and started to shoot down the mechanical birds as he looked for an entrance to the ship. He found it in the form of a makeshift patio with recliner chairs and a parasol next to a hatch. He took one of the bottled waters left in the open and then rushed inside. After checking the water was safe to drink he had finished it in a few seconds before he started to hurry through the halls of the ship. He spotted multiple of the spiderlike machines about, but none of them made a move for him. Instead, they only observed him. He knew they were the key to finding his friends and something else. But before that he had to get other things. He kicked a pipe off its hinges and hurried to the lower levels.

After a few turns and twists, he reached the same room where they had been eating before. The place was a mess just like he remembered, but his friends were nowhere in sight. He went to the place where Arsenal had been working before, and sure enough he had left some of his tools behind. Some he recognized quickly, others were new to him, but he was able to figure out what they did in a short time. He followed the tracks into another hall but didn't follow them further. Instead, he ran in the direction where more of the spiders like machines were. Sure enough, they led him to a control room where Arsenal was taking a nap on a chair. The placed served as his workshop. There were many unfinished projects and materials about. It also served as a security room. There were countless screens around the room showing what the spider-like machines were seeing. The main screen in the middle was showing a view of him from behind. Still, Arsenal snored on.

Of course, his mentor had taught him to look beyond the obvious. The arch for example was full of sensors and he imagined the room was full of little surprises. He thought about using the tools he had found to disarm it for a fraction of a second but knew it would take too long. He was ready to launch through the entrance and take Arsenal down, but he held back when the main screen pinged and then changed.

"Why am I not surprised?" Red Arrow appeared in the display.

Arsenal yawned before straightening up and gave Red Arrow a squinted look, "how did you… never mind, what do you want?"

"To know how they are. It's been hours since they left their homes. Though I don't doubt you or the princess, the Red Hood is a complete different matter," Red Arrow said crossing his arms, "so, where are they?"

"Getting a tour of the ship," Arsenal said rubbing his eyes.

"Is that so?" Red Arrow said lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Why a-" but he didn't get to finish asking because then he received punch on the side of the head which stupefied him for a moment. This lapse in judgment was enough for Tim to use the vines he had gathered to tie him down.

"Robin, what's going on?" Red Arrow asked worriedly.

"My name is Tim," he told Red Arrow.

"Whatever, what the hell is going on there?" he said evidently worried by his appearance; sunburns, dirty from his run in the jungle, his arm semi-drugged, and his left leg dragging.

"Nothing you need to worry about. We will deal with them," he told Red Arrow before turning off the communication.

"You will deal with us?" Arsenal laughed, "Just look at you; you are a mess."

"Looks can be deceiving," he said calmly as he walked up to Arsenal's workstation. Everything he needed was there.

"Stay away from that!" Arsenal screamed at him.

"I can't risk your machines getting in the way," Tim said as he started working on something.

"There is nothing there that you can make is such a short time," a smirk appeared on Arsenal's face.

"Then you are not as bright as you think you are," Tim said in his ever so calm tone. A few moments later he placed in the middle of the room what Arsenal would call an ugly piece of dung. It had none of the flares he liked his machines having, but worse than that; it worked.

"An electromagnetic pulse," he said with a sneer, "you are going to fry my babies."

"And your arm," Tim said looking at the arm covered by fake human skin.

"Hm," Arsenal said turning where he laid, "I guess Jason should have given you more credit. It never occurred to us that you come here."

Tim didn't answer to that. Instead, he went to the monitors and went through them until he found where his friends were kept. Looking at them and then looking at how calm Arsenal was made him stop breathing for a moment. The whole situation was ridiculous, but he had to get it over with. No, he thought as he frowned; he would and make sure to hurt the Outlaws to the point where they wouldn't try to mess with them again. He activated the electromagnetic pulse and watched as the harmless spiders went offline and so did everything with a circuit. Arsenal cursed at him, and this time he didn't bother to hide how much pleasure he had gotten from seeing him as upset as he felt when he woke up on the beach. Now that he knew the truth, he didn't really need to fry them, but it was part of the lesson he was going to teach them.

He picked sharp pieces of metal that would work as projectiles, his pipe, and after replacing the vines with wire he left the place with a goal in mind. He was going to make Jason Todd spit out his own bloody teeth.


	4. First Meeting

A Robin, Red Robin 4 (First Meeting)

He was going to make Jason Todd hurt until he was sure to wish he had never come back from the dead. The man would regret ever returning to Gotham and trying to hurt Bruce, Dick, and him. As he ran, he thought and remembered this was not entirely accurate.

_A year and a half before…_

He was on patrol on his own, sort of. Nightwing was checking the adjoin warehouse. Batman had been investigating a newcomer to their city, and didn't have time to check this himself. At times, he only felt like the help, but not an actual partner to the Dark Knight. Still, he wasn't doing this for self-satisfaction, but because it was the right thing to do. It had been a few months since the Reach tried to invade the Earth, and things were starting to feel normal (for them) again. However, like always he didn't appreciate false alarms. He landed on one of the crates from where he could have a better look at the warehouse.

"Are you sure the alarm was triggered?" he asked through his communicator.

"Very," Barbara, better known as Oracle at that time, said on the other end of the communicator. Yeah, so normal for them, he thought bitterly remembering that not too long ago his friend had almost died.

"Something doesn't feel right," he told her but then didn't get a reply from her, "Oracle?" he asked worriedly. He feared in her current state someone might have gotten to her.

"They never learn, do they?" he heard someone say behind him before feeling a sharp pain in the back of his head.

888

When he woke up, it was with the worst headache of his life. The morning sun wasn't helping either. He was on a bed in the Wayne mansion, and Bruce was sitting on the side with his face in his hands. There was a mutter coming from his lips, and he wondered if he was speaking in his sleep.

"How are you feeling?" Dick entered the room alerting Bruce that he was awake. The man, though usually up until the awe hours of the night, looked exhausted.

"Just a headache, what happened?" he asked looking at the two men.

"Should I?" Dick looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Bruce had nodded before Dick left, closing the door behind him. Tim knew then that the look on Bruce's face wasn't merely exhaustion, something had scared him terribly. He immediately thought of Jason Todd, the Robin before him. He was ready to defend himself for the umpteenth time to his mentor. He was not Jason and would not run the same fate as him. Bruce and Dick had both made sure he went through a longer and more thorough training than Jason because of this.

"I am fine," he said to his mentor.

"I need you to stay in the mansion until I say otherwise," Bruce said knowing well the youth would try to refute.

"Not before you tell me what happened," Tim said sitting up. His world had spun for a moment before he felt the back of his head. There was a bump on the back of his head. He guessed whoever attacked him got their asses handed back to them by Nightwing or even Batman.

"This is not a request Tim. You and I made an agreement. If I tell you to stay, you are going to stay," how could he ever forget the damn deal. It was one of (the many) the conditions Bruce had given him. He was to stay in the mansion, or anywhere he wanted him to until he no longer considered his life in danger (more than usual.)

"Is it the Joker?" he asked knowing very few villains could worry Bruce this much.

"No," he said and the look of pain on his face told him this was much worse. His mentor was lost in thought, probably trying to decide how much to say, as he looked out of his window to the rising sun.

"I should be prepared, and for that I need you to tell me what is going on," Tim knew he had to play the rational card. In case things got out of hand, he had to know what to expect.

Bruce turned to his stand and handed him a file that had been lying there innocently. He hadn't noticed it before. When he opened, he found information on Jason Todd; who were his parents, where he grew up, what he had been good at and at what he excelled. The guy had been like a sponge. Anything that Bruce taught him in the physical sense he learned, and everything else almost as good.

"The Red Hood," Bruce said as he reached the final page where pictures of the newcomer appeared. Though the Red Hood was an identity many had adopted in Gotham, including their most hated maniac, this one was different. He saw the man in midair that reminded him of his training. He thought then that Jason didn't receive less training than him but was simply faster to learn. Not for the first time, his stomach lurched at the thought of not being good enough to wear the uniform. He shook himself back to reality, as he understood what was really tormenting his mentor.

"Jason is not dead?" he asked.

"Is not for sure," Bruce said wringing his hand, "but last night the Red Hood was the one to knock you out. He left you in the other side of town in an abandoned building with a crowbar next to you."

But he was not hurt, but in the darkness Bruce probably thought he had received the same treatment as Jason before he died. He understood then why his mentor wanted him to remain in the mansion. Whoever this was, Jason or not, was aware of some very obscure details that only they and the Joker knew. The Joker, of course, was in his padded room in Arkham Asylum.

"It can't be Jason, he wouldn't do something like this," Tim told Bruce though a part of him doubted it. The Red Hood was a name the Joker had used too in the past.

"Either way, you are staying here," Bruce told him with a tone that he wouldn't hear one word of protest.

Tim nodded, not for the first time feeling like a child in the whole matter. Clue after clue was dropped by the Hood until even he couldn't doubt this was Jason Todd. But the question remained, why? If he was alive why didn't he go back to them? And why had he left Tim on such a horrible scenario for Bruce to find him. He could tell the whole situation was torturous to Bruce, and he didn't know how to help.

After Dick had got hurt in a chase, he found his chance to sneak into the cave while Alfred took care of Dick and opened the feed to follow the situation closer. He wanted to help however he could. The sky was pouring that night as he started displaying the feed of Bruce's lenses on the main screen. He was seeing all that his mentor was, and hoped to find a clue to help him. However, he hadn't expected to find him one on one with the Red Hood.

The Red Hood was a master of the blade and wasted no time on matching Batman's hits with his own. In a rash move, something he found Bruce odd to do, he tackled them off the roof they had been fighting on until they landed on the one right below painfully. Though winged, the Red Hood reached for Batman's cowl and removed it. The image was gone. His breath caught as he tried to think what he could do. He went for his uniform to go help but found it gone from the display. He cursed and was ready to reach for Jason's when he realized the audio was still playing.

"Look at you," he heard the Red Hood speak for the first time. He sounded young, "I guess we should keep it even." There were sounds he didn't recognize, but he guessed he had removed his helmet.

"Jason," Bruce said unwavering, but Tim was shaking with rage and fear. Jason had turned on Bruce, the man that gave him a home and purpose. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to think it.

"Yes," the young man answered and thought Tim couldn't see him, he knew he was smiling.

"I don't want to fight you," Bruce said.

"All evidence to the contrary," Jason mocked.

"Please, I can help you. I know what happened," at least one of them did, Tim thought.

"Oh, you got to talking to Ra's, huh? Does it make it easier for you to think that my dip in his fountain of youth turned me rabid? Or is this just the real me?"

The silence that followed allowed him to absorb this information. Jason had died, and he had been brought back to life with the Lazarus pit. It made sense of why he was back, and even some of his madness as he knew Ra usually went on a killing spree after using it. Still, his words didn't sound like those of a madman.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and the image was back. He found himself just watching as things happened. He wouldn't make it in time to the city by the time this was over. He continued to look at the fight through Bruce's eyes; the look of anger in Todd's face as they fought.

"I wonder what bothers you more, that your greatest failure has returned from the grave? Or that I have become a better Batman than you?"

Tim wanted to shout at Jason that was not true at all. Since he had taken the mantle of Robin, all Bruce had not spared a moment to let him forget the rules he set because of his loss. He didn't blame Jason at all.

"You're ruling through intimidation and murder. Just another criminal," Batman said as they continued to fight. He hadn't realized it then, but his mentor had lost his utility belt during the fight.

"I am what this city needs," Jason said pinning the Dark Knight down before he started punching him in the face.

Tim recoiled back and couldn't help to turn his head to the side until he heard Jason grunt. Batman had returned one of the punches back.

They fought more, there was a chase, and more words were exchanged. Bruce was trying to make him see reason and Jason shooting him down.

"Enough, it's over!"

He couldn't watch anymore, so he closed his eyes. Still he listened on as Batman beat up the boy he once had lost and mourned.

"You say you wanna be better than me. But it won't happen. Not like this!"

The sound of more fighting and Jason falling with a grunt.

"I know I failed you but I tried to save you, Jason. I am trying to save you now."

"Is that what you think this is about? That you let me die? I don't know what clouds your judgment worse; your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality. Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. But why? Why on God's earth…" there was the sound of something breaking, a door probably, "…is he still alive?"

Then there was the sound of the Joker cackling. Tim felt his blood run cold. How did Jason get hold of the Joker? When that mad got added to the equation things always got out of hand.

"Gotta give the boy points. He came back all the way from the day to make this shindig happen. So who's got a camera? Ooh! Ooh! Get one of me and the kid first. Then you and me, then the three of us. And then one with the crowbar. Then—"

"You'll be as quiet as possible or I'll put one in your lap first."

"Party pooper. No cake for you."

"Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupidly, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled, the thousands who have suffered, the friends he's crippled."

Tim opened his eyes again. Jason knew about Barbara.

"You know. I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt. If it had been you that he beat to a bloody pulp… if he had taken you from this world, I would've done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil death-worshipping garbage and sent him off to hell."

And Tim couldn't help but to agree with the man holding the gun towards his mentor.

"You don't understand. I don't think you've ever understood."

"What? What, your moral core just won't allow for that? It's too hard to cross that line?"

"No. God almighty, no; it'd be too damned easy. All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others and then end him."

"Aw, so you do think about me."

"But if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place, I'll never come back."

"Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin or Scarecrow or Dent. I'm talking about him. Just him. And doing it because… Because he took me away from you."

"I can't. I am sorry."

"That is so sweet." peeped the Joker.

"Well, you won't have a choice" and then he saw as Jason threw a gun at his mentor who caught it in bewilderment

"I won't-"

"This is what it's all about. This; you, and me and him. Now is time you decide. If you won't kill this psychotic piece of filth, I will," Jason said placing the point of his gun at the Joker's head. "If you wanna stop me, you're gonna have to kill me."

"You know I won't—"

"I'm gonna blow his deranged brains out. And if you wanna stop it, you are gonna have to shoot me. Right in the face."

"This is turning out better than I'd hoped."

He heard the clear sound of his mentor dropping the gun before he turned around and started walking away.

"It's him or me, you have to decide!" he heard Jason shout. "Decide now! Do it! Him or me? Decide."

There was the sound of a gun being shot which made him jump in Tim jump. He watched with wide eyes as Batman turned around and used a Batarang to disarm Jason and hurt his hand in the process.

The Joker started laughing, "I can't believe you got him. You expert, rooting-tooting, eagle-eyed, goth-loving marksman. I love it. You managed to find a way to win. And everybody still loses!"

Jason stood holding his injured hand against him as in the other he held a detonator which he promptly activated. Batman turned and saw in the abandoned chimney of the dilapidated apartment several explosives with only a few seconds before they exploded. He ran to try to disarm it before he was tackled by the Joker.

"No, don't spoil it. This is better." The madman tackled Batman to the ground and started choking him, "I'm the only one who's gonna get what he wants tonight. Yes, bing, bang, boom. We all go out together."

As he said those words, his mentor watched as Jason leaned against a wall and slid down in pain. He was ready to give up on his second chance at life.

"Don't you just love a happy ending?" the Joker said as he laughed before his mentor landed a well-placed hit on his face before rushing to Jason and picking him up. Things had gone dark for a fraction of a second before a thunderous sounded invaded his ears. The explosives had gone off. He turned around to rush to get Dick, but found him standing behind him with a tired and hurt look. He used his crutches until he was sitting on the main chair. After a few seconds, they were getting the vitals of their mentor which were captured by his suit. He was alive.

"Go get some sleep Tim," Dick told him, "and don't talk to this to anyone, not even Bruce unless he brings it up."

He nodded and then left, but he couldn't get even one decent hour of sleep that night or the next. Bruce didn't say much when they met. Everyone seemed to assume Jason had been out for Bruce's blood, but as Dick told him, he didn't discuss what actually happened with anyone. To do so would reveal the darker part of his mentor's nature, the side of him that wished to harm selfishly the monster that was the Joker. It would also tell another part of the Red Hood that he wasn't sure he wanted to understand because he really did comprehend him. Though he saw sense in Bruce's words, he also saw them on Jason's, and that scared him.

He never spoke to this with anyone, not even with Dick. He wasn't sure he would understand. As time passed, and there was no sign of the Red Hood returning, he allowed himself to forget about it. He buried that side of himself that wished to get hold of the men who killed his parents and choke them as they begged for their lives. As he ran through the S.S. Starfire, he imagined Jason Todd standing on the side telling him of all the hurt those people had brought to the world. Of how much better everyone would be if they were gone. Then, in his mind's eye, he was no longer choking those men. But a young teen who was staring at him in horror; Jason Todd was the boy and his hands were not his own, but a white, pale pair.

He stopped in his track and took a deep breath. Then he said the words he heard back then, "if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place, I'll never come back."

The weight on his chest didn't go away, but it became more bearable. He thought back to his parents. Both of them had been bright business people who had a dysfunctional relation, but never failed to tell him how proud they were of him, and how much they loved him. He used to disregard those expressions of affection as he immersed himself in his obsessions. Much like a dog with a bone he couldn't let go of. He wished he had shown to them how much they meant to him while they were alive. At lease, now as whoever he was now, he would show them his respects and become a man they could be proud of.

"Thanks, Bruce," he said making sure to remember to tell those words directly to his mentor when he saw him.


	5. The Real Beginning

A Robin, Red Robin 5

He crawled through the ventilation shafts until he reached the place where his friends were being held. The room was dark, but he could see his friends. Superboy was chained to the wall with a good chunk of Kryptonite in front of him. Kid Flash still had that collar around his neck which kept him from being able to move, let alone vibrate it off him. Blue was lying on the ground curled in pain with a disruptor sphere close to him keeping him from using his armor.

"Maybe he went home," he heard the voice of Starfire, "it's been too long Jason."

"I know," he heard Red Hood say and he could tell he was getting impatient.

"We should just let them go. The League will come searching for them otherwise," Starfire said worriedly. Even though she was a brave warrior, she knew better than to mess with Earth's big guns.

"I don't give a shit about the League. They have to learn that this is not a kid's game. There is always going to be pain and someone who doesn't make it home," the Hood said clearly upset now.

"I understand better than anyone else why you are doing this, but it is not our place to teach them. We know nothing about kids. We didn't even get to be kids for long…" her words were laced with pain.

"Kori, that's enough," the Hood's tone change to one he had never heard. There was a particular pain they shared. Then, he said in a friendlier tone, "Go check on Roy, I am sure he would welcome your company."

"You know I love you too," she said in a soft tone before she left him.

He readied the weapons he had gotten and prepared himself to fight.

"Get it over with already," the Red Hood said with a sigh.

He jumped through the vent and landed a few feet away from him, but didn't attack.

"Let me guess, you took care of Arsenal," but the Hood didn't wait for him to answer, "and you heard what I said, which let me be clear, I knew you were there all along."

"Because you just wanted to spoil the reason why you had us come here, right?" he said standing his ground. "We don't need you to tell us what could happen. All of us went through a special training when you were gone courtesy of Martian Man Hunter. At the top of that we all know how is like to lose someone; you remember Wally and Tula, right?"

"No need to get snappy," Jason said.

"Right, because you hurting my friends doesn't mean I am going to kick your ass. Stop it right now; I will let you get off with Superboy punching you through a wall or two."

"I might be new at this mentoring thing, but I do have a thing or two to teach you about loss," and with those simple words he pointed a gun at Kid Flash. "You are not in control Tim and when you aren't in control, there isn't anything you can do prevent the death of those dear to you."

"I will kill you," he said preparing his makeshift Batarang.

"You won't. You are Bruce's priced pupil. Even if I was to kill all of them, you would just beat me one inch away from death, but wouldn't kill me," Jason laughed.

"I am not Bruce," Tim told him, "I will not let you take my friends away from me even if it changes me for the worst. I am their leader and I am responsible for their wellbeing."

The Red Hood had started to laugh before he removed his helmet with his free hand. He gave Tim a measuring look.

"You were listening to our last fight, weren't you? Yet, you don't agree with his choice," Jason said as he then pointed at Superboy, "but make no mistake; I will still kill one of your friends. The question is now, who will it be?" and he shifted his gun to Blue.

"Don't yo-" but he didn't get to finish. He fired the gun and watched as a bullet went through Blue's chest. A blood gurgled scream of pain erupted from Blue's lips. He ran to him to get the sphere away from Blue to get his armor to heal him. He kicked it so it crashed against a wall and shattered into tiny pieces. At once Blue's armor started forming around him, but it was only half way through before it stopped. The pained sound coming from Blue's lips went silent.

"And I thought for a moment there that he would actually make it," the Red Hood said a few steps behind him.

"You bastard!" he tackled the Red Hood making him lose his weapons before he started punching his face until his knuckles were tainted with blood.

"Bart, stop," he heard Superboy's pained whisper, "he will win if you kill him."

"He shot Blue!" he shouted as he continued hitting though now his own knuckles were bleeding.

Jason merely laughed as he punched him. Why wouldn't he lose consciousness!

"Blue wouldn't want you to become a killer," Kid Flash said from where he laid on the floor, "please don't."

He hit Jason a few more times and then stopped. Tears were running down his face as he watched his friend's blood cover the floor. He and Blue had joined the Team almost at the same time and since then they had worked together in about every mission.

"See? I told you that you were just like him," Jason laughed through a bloody mouth. "That's what you wanted, right? It just took one of your close friends to get it."

"This isn't what I wanted," Tim said scrambling back from Jason. It was true that he wanted to be as strong as his mentor, but not at the cost of the lives of his friends.

"But it is Timmy," Jason said crawling towards him. His crazed eyes were centered on him and only him. "You knew this was a trap, and as their leader you insisted on coming here, to us; the killers. You knew this wouldn't end up any other way."

"I believed in you!" he shouted at him.

"Like Bruce does?" Jason's laughed harder, "that's hilarious!"

His laughter started to turn maniacal. His face began to become pale and his hair started to turn green.

"Surprise! You fell for it little bird!" the one staring at him now was the Joker, "you should see the look in your face!"

"I will kill you!" he launched at the laughing maniac.

888

The next thing he knew he was been pulled back by his friends. They pried his fingers from the neck in front of him. He fought them back. He kicked and screamed as he tried to reach for that monster and finally end him.

"It's over _hermano, _you are awake!" he stopped and looked at the blue covered hand and then up at his owner.

"You are alive," he said looking at his friend's worried face before looking at his chest. There was no bullet hole.

"Okay, what the hell did you see?" Blue asked with wide eyes.

"I swear this is the last time we use this stuff. First Arsenal and then you?" the Red Hood said sitting up. "Think for a moment kid, everything will come back to you."

He looked around. They were in what seemed to be a very comfy medical station, not a dark room where they had been held hostage. His friends were all okay, and the Red Hood and company were not attacking them. He had taken a deep breath before everything started coming back to him.

_They were all sitting on the beds. None of them were happy to be there, but at least they weren't in some dungeon. The Outlaws were not attacking them, but instead talked among themselves in whispers. _

"_Enough," Superboy said, "the sooner you tell us what you want, the sooner we can tell you to shove it up your-"_

"_Language!" laughed the Red Hood, "Sheesh, one would think the big blue would have taught you better."_

"_He does make a point Jason, are you going to finally going to tell us what is it that you want?" Tim asked._

"_So we can tell you to shove it up the place where the sun doesn't shine," Kid Flash said crossing his arms._

"_We want to help you getting a better perspective of yourselves before you start the operation of your little team," Arsenal said. "Nothing strenuous, you are just going to be placed in a fake reality and face a few things about yourselves. And you won't have to move an inch away from your beds."_

"_It can actually be quite fun," Starfire said with a smile as she checked on his bandages, "depending on what you get it could also be a nightmare."_

"_Did you really have to knock us out to do this?" Jaime asked as he rotated his shoulder. At once Starfire was at his side. He, Superboy and Kid Flash had received minor injuries which had been tended by Starfire. None of them, unsurprisingly, had complained about her getting close to them._

"_Just making you aware of your weaknesses in case you didn't know them," Arsenal said with a smirk. "It took us a while to figure out some of you, but it was all worth it."_

"_Why should we follow with this test of yours?" he asked as he rubbed his bruises._

"_Don't think of it as a test, but a revelation. We went through it and believe me; it will change the way you see things," The Red Hood said with a faraway look. _

"_How does this work?" Superboy asked with a frown._

"_Is hard to explain," Jason said before showing them a small cloth bag, "none of us is very knowledgeable on magic."_

"_So again, why should we follow with this?" Tim asked._

"_Let me put it this way," Jason said with a sharp smile, "this will make you live your darkest and most hidden desires. You will love it, or maybe hate it depending on how soon or if you will realize is all fake. Still, you will wish it was all real. You will come to a point where you have to make a choice, the choice of being your real self. When that happens, you might be giving up your dream or decide to make it a reality; when that happens you will wake up."_

"_I hate to admit it, but I am curious," Kid Flash said lying back on the bed, "hit me with it."_

"_You are crazy," Blue said lying down too, "but I am also in."_

"_If any of us get hurt, I will make you pay," Superboy said lying down._

"_How long will it last?" Tim asked lying down as well._

"_It depends on each individual. Some last a few minutes, others hours, but rarely days," Arsenal said looking serious. He reminded them of his old self. He wondered how long Arsenal had been in that dream world._

_Once they were all lying down Arsenal went to each one of them and placed some of the blue powder from the pouch on their faces. He started to feel sleepy._

"_Where did you get this?" Tim asked as his vision began to blur._

"_From the Sandman, of course," the Red Hood said with a chuckle. "I know his sister; Death, and said that as long as we use it for good things she would keep getting it for us as we need it."_

"_Leave it to you to make friends with Death itself," Superboy laughed sounding sleepy._

"_Oh, I almost forgot!" Jason said making them all have their eyes go wide for a moment, "you might also get glimpses of your future through it; nothing to worry about."_

"_Bastard," Tim said before the lights went out and they forgot they were dreaming._

888

They walked down the beach to where the Super Cycle was waiting patiently for them. None of them had said anything about what they saw, and none of them asked about that the others saw. From what he understood he was the one with the most upsetting awakening. Though he knew Blue was dying to ask, his friend didn't say a word.

"Alright kiddies, make sure to call your homes so that the League doesn't come snooping around looking for you. Last time Superman came he whipped half my robots," Arsenal said, "bastard didn't even apologize."

"Probably because they attacked him," Superboy said, "when he just wanted to deliver a message to Starfire."

"And on top of that he doesn't know how to keep a conversation private. I don't care what everyone else says, he doesn't know how to keep a secret," Jason said before throwing an arm over Superboy's shoulder.

"Get off," Superboy pushed him away.

"Fine, fine," he said raising his hands in surrender. "Still, drop by anytime you like, or if you want us to break a few knees."

Tim stared at him absorbing his words, making sense of them. He was meant to say kill, but he didn't. The dream had given him a new perspective, and he believed as Jason gave him a strained smile that it had done the same for him.

"Before you go, a word in private, Tim," Jason said before walking to another side of the beach, "no picking Kon!"

He followed Jason to the other side of the beach and sat next to him on an old log. They were silent for a long time just watching the waves.

"My friends will get worried if you take any longer," he said to Jason.

"Right, right," Jason said taking his helmet off, "so Grayson told me you saw my fight with Bruce. He also was the one to tell me about you leaving the League and the Team. Now, don't get upset at him. He asked me to give you that little experience since I told him I went through it a while ago."

"You two have been in contact," he was sure the League wouldn't like that.

"For a few months only, we help each other every once in a while," Jason admitted and he didn't need to explain further Dick wouldn't be helping him if was killing. "When he told me you needed help since you and your friends were going on your own, I couldn't say no."

"Of course," he said with a dry laugh, "watching you kill one of my friends in cold blood was so-"

"Ouch!" Jason flinching, "I don't want to know the details, but I will say this; I don't kill kids. You can guess why, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Tim said.

"So I heard Bruce's brat is now Robin, reason why you are dressed like this," Jason poked his shoulder, "picked a new name yet? Maybe Flamebird? That way you and Grayson can be like a duet of former Robins."

"I don't think so," Tim said knowing well the story behind Flamebird and Nightwing. He was definitely not Nightwing's Flamebird.

"You are not leaving before telling me, kid. If you don't make up your mind now you will take a whole year," Jason told him, "c'mon before Super-crabby comes looking for you."

"Really?" he looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Humor me," Jason said with a smirk.

"You are unbelievable," Tim said with a sigh before standing up and dipping his hands into his pockets.

"You are not running away, are you?" Jason said standing up too.

"I am not, just give me a moment," Tim told him as he touched something smooth at the bottom of his pocket. He remembered the night before; the women that he saved and small gift the old woman had given to him.

"_As long as you are breathing, as long as there is a new day, you are just beginning."_

He pulled the small, smooth rock out and looked at the painting of the red robin on it.

"Well, isn't that cute," Jason said looking at it.

"A woman gave it to me last night," he explained to Jason what happened, and what the woman had told him.

"Interesting story, but still doesn't-" but he stopped when Tim looked at him with all the seriousness in the world.

"Red Robin," he said as turned the small stone on his fingers.

"That's… actually not bad, especially the Red part," Jason said taking the rock from him and studying it with a smile, "and it will piss off that brat too since you are still a Robin. Grayson tells me he is a little bast-"

"Don't read so much into it," Tim told him taking the little rock back. "I am going home," he said before he started walking back to his friends.

"You know, my mother wasn't the best of mothers, but she told me a story or two every once in a while," Jason said following him. "She told me one called Little Red Robin, I kid you not. That's something I liked about being Robin. Every time I put on the uniform it reminded me of those small, happy moments."

"How does it go?" he asked stopping. He could see his friends talking to the Outlaws before they noticed him. Kid Flash waved at him to hurry before Jason started.

"There was once a little red robin sitting in the snow. His little, bright red feather attracted a crow. The crow said 'aren't you too small to be out here playing' and the little red robin said 'not at all.'"

"Is sort of short," Tim told him with a curious look.

"I didn't say it was the end," Jason said, "my mother would fall asleep before she finished it or change it every time she told it. That was actually the best part of it because sometimes she would let me tell it instead. Now, you little Red Robin, you get to pick where the story goes from here."

"That is so-" he said trying to bite his lip down so he wouldn't laugh. It was sweet, but he was a fifteen years old. He wasn't supposed to like sweet stuff.

"If you say lame, I will kick your ass from here, all the way back to the mainland," Jason said slapping him on the back of the head. Then he added with haughtiness, "and I will be telling Alfred too."

"Now, that's just playing dirty," Tim said unable to hold his laughter anymore.

"It's all over man; the world is going to end!" Kid Flash shouted as he threw his arms into the air.

"Tim?" Superboy asked as Tim tried to hold his laughter down.

"Is fine," he said taking hold of himself, "let's get going guys."

"About time," Arsenal said, "I thought you guys would never leave."

"So, I guess this isn't a good time to ask if we could have a barbecue here," Kid Flash said giving him a full smile.

"Don't even think about it," Superboy said grabbing his friend by the collar and pulling him to the Super Cycle.

"Couldn't have said it better me," Blue said flying after them.

"Just call before you decide to do so," Jason whispered to him before they heard Superboy growl, "you make sure he comes too."

"Deal," Tim said before they saw Superboy throw his arms in the air.

888

"So, we are okay with the Outlaws now?" Superboy asked him flying side by side with the Super Cycle.

"We can make use of their intel," Tim said before telling him what Jason had told him of being in contact with Nightwing. Superboy reached the same conclusion as him that the Outlaws were no longer taking lives, not that this would bring back those they already took, but nonetheless it was a change for the better.

"I had never seen you laugh so much. What did he say?" Blue asked him flying on the other side of the Supercycle.

"Some kid's story… since I picked my new name," he told them before getting curious looks. He told them of the women he saved the night before showing them the rock, "Red Robin."

They all thought it was good as they could see it work.

"So what was the story?" Superboy asked curiously and probably looking for something to tease Jason with when they met next time.

"I will tell you tonight," Tim told them, "you guys are staying. We have a lot to plan."

"Really? I was hoping for a night out," Kid said, "after all this, we deserve some fun."

"Agreed _hermano," _Blue said.

"Me too," Superboy said before they stared at him, "what? I also like to go out."

"I always thought it was Miss Martian that dragging him out," Kid whispered to Blue who just nodded.

"I will have you know I went out last week with a friend, AND we also had a party at our apartment," Superboy said flying over them.

"And you didn't invite us!" Kid said jumping to stand on his seat, "that is not crash, not crash at all. You tell him too Blue."

"Not crash at all," Blue said laughing.

"It was more like you and Superman had your apartment invaded by his coworkers," Tim said before Superboy gave him a curious look. "Flash has been telling everyone since he and Wonder Woman stopped there the following morning."

He didn't know how long they had talked, but he realized he was laughing more. Life was too short to be serious all the time, he thought, he also had to enjoy his friends more. One day, maybe one of them would indeed be gone, or he might be gone. He agreed to the night out with them, but that was after they talked about what their team would do.

"We slept like hours, and I feel exhausted," Kid Flash said leaning back on his seat.

"You are not seriously going back to sleep, are you?" Blue asked.

"I am," Kid closed his eyes, "don't bug me until we make it back."

He also leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. He needed a restful sleep before that night so he allowed himself to be pulled into dreamland.

_**He was a bird, a small red robin of all things. He was flying through the night sky. It was an incredible feeling. There was no ground, only star covered skies wherever he went. He couldn't remember when it all began, and he couldn't see the end. He just kept on flying. His wings were starting to get tired, but it never occurred to him to stop in one place to rest. He knew he was meant to just keep on going. There were others flying with him, but he didn't look to the sides to look at them. They all had their sights forwards. They couldn't stop even if they wanted to.**_

_**The sun started to rise in the direction they flew. It was a beautiful sight as the heat of the sun warmed his wings. All the tiredness he felt before faded away as the red, pink and orange of the dawn covered everything. His spirit and mind were renewed and he knew he could keep on flying until the next dawn and the one after that.**_

"_**As long as you are breathing, as long as there is a new day, you are just beginning, Red Robin."**_

888

"There is nothing here," he heard Kid Flash say.

"I swear I saw it right here," he heard Blue Beetle say.

"A T-shaped tower worked as our base of operations?" Superboy sounded like he didn't believe it either.

"Why a T?" Kid Flash asked.

"I don't know," Blue said with a sigh.

"It didn't occur to you to ask?" Superboy asked him as he finally opened his eyes.

The city wasn't far away but for some reason they had stopped in that spot in the middle of the sea. He leaned over the edge to see what they were all looking at but found nothing out of the ordinary. Just that it gave them an excellent view of the city coastline.

"I was sort of distracted with everything else…" Blue mumbled, "but Booster called us the T's so this might be one of those future related visions the Hood talked about."

"The Ts?" Superboy asked.

"Well, apparently T for Team," Kid Flash said.

"I saw a comic book in my dream. It was the first clue I got," Superboy said, "it was called Teen Team,"

"Ahh, no," Tim said before leading the Super Cycle to get closer to the sea, "but this is a good place."

"There is nothing here," Kid Flash said.

"We wanted a place where people could see us, yet our enemies and the curious can't get close," Tim said, "though I am not sure about the whole T-shaped tower."

"It was actually a cool place," Blue told them, "there was a bunch of kids training to be heroes, we were helping them, and we were also having fun."

"We were training others?" Superboy asked with a frown.

"We were like the Team, but yet we weren't," Blue said as a smile started to stretch on his face. "It was a fun place. A safe place, we made sure those kids stayed out of trouble, taught them how to help others; be real heroes. Each one of them was so brave. When we went to fight the Reach together, we were like a force of nature to be reckoned with."

"We were Titans," Tim said before they all became silent for a moment.

"Team Titans?" Kid Flash asked after a minute.

"No, just Titans," Superboy said.

"I like it," Tim said, "do we all agree?"

"Just like that?" Blue asked

"If we don't decide now, we are never going to agree on something," Tim said, "so what do you say?"

"It has a nice ring to it," Superboy said without a pause.

"When there's trouble, who do you call?" Kid Flash said with a smirk, "You call the Titans!"

"Titans… Titans! I like it," Blue said.

"Then we are the Titans," Red Robin said.


	6. A Night Out

A Robin, Red Robin 6

"Alright, we got pizza, Chinese food, and burgers, I think we are all ready to go," Kid Flash said setting the last of the bags in the kitchen.

"Superboy isn't back yet," Blue Beetle said as he studied the hologram his armor was projecting from his chest, "how many tons do you think this thing is going to weight?"

"Uhm… at least ten tons," he said as he ran the numbers of the primary material they would need, "at the most twenty."

"Where are we supposed to get the money for that?" Kid asked almost dropping his burger.

"We will get sponsors," plus he had stocks in Wayne Industries and the others his father had left him.

Superboy flew in through the window from investigating further the site where they wanted their base.

"There is an underwater island and is filled with a network of caves. We can reinforce them and make use of them," Superboy said as he grabbed a slice of pizza, "we are going to need to do that before anything else."

"You and Blue will take care of that. I will recruit more members and Kid Flash will work on the Teletransportation system," Kid Flash had shared this bit after Blue explained to them the room he had seen in his dream.

"We have an idea of what we want for a base, but I am still unsure about what we are going to be doing," Superboy said collapsing on one of the couches. "We keep saying that we are going to work differently than the League, but what does that really entitle?"

"Well, for starters," Kid Flash said before disappearing and reappearing with a white board. Where he go it? He had no idea. "We are going to look for Metas in trouble, help them learn how to control their powers and if they want become heroes. That is clear from what Blue tell us." He wrote 'Help Metas' on the whiteboard.

"That while giving the good fight," Superboy said before Kid Flash added 'crime fighting' to the list.

"Sort of," he said and the rest stared at him expectantly. "The League usually only takes action when the threat is already active, and the Team is useful for information gathering and some small jobs, but we aren't going to wait."

"You don't mean hunt them down while they are doing nothing, right?" Blue asked with a frown. He knew just as well that if not careful taking the law into your own hands could lead to some misguided actions.

"In my experience, they usually are out because they escaped, and they are usually up to something all the time," Superboy said lying on the couch. Though he looked calm, he knew the clone was thinking about what this meant, "And we aren't just going to look for the guys that can make building collapse. We are also going after the rest."

This didn't seem to ease Blue's worries. He looked at the board where Kid had added 'Regular Patrols' as it was when they usually caught the small fish.

"If they are free because they completed their sentence and doing nothing threatening; we will leave them alone," he told the armored hero who nodded. Kid added that detail to the board.

"Like a parole, but without them knowing?" Superboy asked with a frown. That was more of a detective's work, but they could handle it.

"Sounds good to me," Kid Flash said adding 'Monitoring Possible Threats.' "We don't want them getting on the defensive and getting someone hurt. We have to be very careful about that."

They kept adding things to their list of other things they would need for their base. All the while, he kept an eye on Damian, who sat on the couch watching them excruciatingly carefully. More than once he saw the kid smirk and he knew he probably thought of better ways to approach their mission, but he didn't ask for his opinion. The child was dangerous and had to be treated at arm's length.

"If we want to earn the trust of the public then the interview is no longer a maybe," Superboy said as the sun started to set.

"I mean no offence. But being interviewed by amateur reporters doesn't seem like the best way to get our name out there," Blue said removing the projection of the tower from the middle of the living room.

"Not if we can get it broadcasted in the Daily Planet and ClarkCatropolis," Superboy said with a smirk.

"Are you sure?" he knew ClarkCatropolis wouldn't be difficult, but the Daily Planet was a whole different story.

"I just need to confirm with my contact in the Daily Planet, but I doubt she would let a chance like this slip," and by her he meant Lois Lane. He knew the woman was helping him with his search of Dr. Spencer and N.O.W.H.E.R.E. so he guessed they could trust her with one more thing.

"But you are working with someone else on this right?" Blue asked, "How exactly are we going to make this work?"

"Leave that to her and me," Superboy said stretching.

"Just don't try to dissect us in front of the world," he told his friend who just shrugged, but he knew he wouldn't let them down.

"So, are we going out?" Kid Flash asked changing from one moment to another to his civvies.

"They won't let us into any clubs with a kid," Blue said removing his armor, "so we might as well just stay and watch some movies."

"We are going," he told them. Before any of them could complain, he said, "there are some clubs which allow kids his age as long as he is accompanied by an adult."

They all turned to look at Jaime.

"_Mierda," _Jaime muttered, "fine, but I am not looking after him on my own."

"I don't need anyone looking after me," Damian said crossing his arms.

"Then you are saying you are not going to hurt anyone?" Bart asked.

"No," the kid said with a smirk.

"Or sneak away?" Conner asked.

"No," Damian said with an even crueler smile.

"We will all take turns," he told them. "Also, try to think of this as practice. We will be dealing with a lot of kids, and many will have powers they won't know yet how to control."

"Okay, when you put it like that-" Bart said flinching.

"We can handle it," Conner said confidently, "Blue saw it. We can."

Jaime nodded, but it seemed his mouth had gone dry. It looked he realized what this really meant. He knew Jaime would have to be gone for the summer when he went off to fight the Reach hold over other worlds, but when he returned he would have his hands full with college and their team. Though he was the oldest of all of them, that didn't mean he was ready.

"Then let's stop talking and get going," Bart said swinging an arm over Jaime's shoulder. "We are no taking hostages tonight, and we are not going back home until the sun rises!"

"Curfew is at eleven," Conner reminded him, though from his smile they could tell he wasn't serious.

"Like that is going to stop us!" Bart shouted before jumping on the couch.

888

Easier said than done, Tim thought as they reached downtown where all the underage clubs were. There were bright lights, the loud voices, and loud music blasting out of every door. He had been to a club once, but it was for an undercover mission. The whole time Nightwing had guided him through it. It had been easy back then to fake to be someone else, a kid with no fears, but now he had to be himself. It was so overwhelming he thought for a moment to turn around right then. He stopped when he noticed he wasn't the only one. He knew Bart had never been to a club. Jaime worked in one when he was investigating La Dama. Conner, well he had been to some, but he was sure always unwillingly. And, he was pretty sure Damian had never been to a club unless the League of Assassins' training was that messed up.

"Conner, you take over," he told the half Kryptonian clone.

"What?" he knew it came out of nowhere, but he was pretty sure he was clear.

"You are the one with the most experience," he told him as they stopped in front of a pizza shop. He knew if they didn't get moving soon they will just opt for a pizza and hang there.

"This is not a mission," Conner told him.

"I know that," he said, "but you are the one with the most experience."

Conner ran a hand through his hair. He probably only went to wherever the others wanted. They walked down the street to where music was blasting the loudest. He knew they looked like an odd bunch. Not because they were so different from each other (if they only knew their abilities), but more out of how out of place they looked.

"This is such a waste of time," Damian said looking at him with narrowed eyes, "what is the point of all of this? There are many more productive things that _I_ could be doing that this."

"Then be our guest and go do them," Bart told him walking ahead next to Jaime.

"Hey, this is new for him," Jaime said elbowing his friend before looking at Damian. "I am sure what you can do is amazing, but sometimes you just have to lean back, relax and have fun. If you become too winded up, you usually end up making mistakes."

"You don't look relaxed to me," Damian said with a smirk.

"Well," Jaime scratched his cheek, "this is the first time we do this too. All new experiences always come a bit of apprehension, right?"

"Not for me, I was trained to always be prepared for anything," Damian said but seemed more relaxed than a few moments ago. He gave Jaime a thankful smile. Though his friend said he wouldn't know how to handle a kid like Damian, he was sure he could.

"Oh! Oh! That place!" Bart said stopping in front of what was probably the oddest of clubs. It didn't surprise him Bart had taken a liking to it. The place looked like a perfect white cube with neon lights on the edges which changed to the rhythm of the music being played. The name was of course 'The Cube'.

"Take a closer look, that place requires a 'donation' to get in," Jaime said before they saw a not so discreet bouncer receive at least fifty bucks per each person who wanted in.

"But it is actually very cool," Bart said sipping on a chocolate milkshake.

"Where did you get that?" Jaime asked stepping back.

"Dhu! From inside of course," Bart said before slurping some more.

"Way not to bring attention to yourself," Jaime said before a milkshake appeared on his hand.

"Better?" Bart asked.

"We will see," Jaime said, "but how are we going to get inside? We don't all have super speed and I am not letting anyone carry me."

"Agreed," he said to which Conner merely shrugged.

"You guys can sneak in. I mean we are the Titans plus one undesired guest," Bart said ruffling Damian's hair before the kid took hold of his hand, "Hey what are- those don't bend that way!"

"You and Conner can get in with your speed. Damian and I will enter through the ventilation shaft, and Jaime can sneak through the service door," he told them.

"I believe I am the one in charge," Conner told them with a decisive look, "just follow me, and act naturally."

They looked at each other worriedly for a moment before following.

"We are so going to get our asses kicked to the curve," Jaime said with a strained smile.

"Have some faith. He is the 'you know what' of 'you know who'," Bart said snapping his fingers like a character from Grease.

"Faith won't matter is you don't stop acting like an idiot," Jaime said looking around to see who was watching them.

"He said to act natural," he reminded him.

"This is natural for me!" Bart said slicking his hair back with a comb.

"He meant normal, you maniac," Jaime said rubbing his temples.

"Oh, why didn't you say so before," Bart said slouching and dipping his hands in his pockets. Then he took on an uninterested expression, "sup I am a teenager who no one understands."

"We need to get him out more," Jaime said with a smile threatened to break from his face.

"You think?" he said biting his lip before noticing Damian was looking at Bart with utter confusion. He didn't blame the kid.

"Shut up and let me do the talking," Conner told them just before they stopped before the bouncer.

"Get to the back of the line," the large man said blocking the whole entrance.

"We are on the list," Conner told him, "Johns."

"There are no Johns in the list," the large man said crossing his arms.

He could hear those in the line snickering, but none of them broke character.

"Are you sure?" Conner gave the man an eyebrow raised look.

"Damn sure I-" the man checked the list and stopped before asking, "First name?"

"Frederick," Conner said with a smug smile.

The large man muttered something unkind under his breath before stepping to the side and letting them in. He didn't even question Damian following which made him wonder if this was a good place to come to at all. The entrance led to a long dark hall which they started following.

"Are you able to use your psychic abilities now?" he asked his friend. Last time they had talked about this it was still uncharted ground for Conner. Miss Martian had been helping him, but things were not working well in their sessions because of his sudden outburst of power. That got under Miss Martian's nerves (literally) and usually got their sessions over a few minutes in.

"Not without planting the idea in their minds," Conner told them.

"Meaning you had to make him doubt enough to check," a skill he was sure would come in handy many times.

Conner only nodded before a frown appeared on his face. He didn't need to ask why because a moment later they emerged to the immense club. The entrance led them to a veranda that surrounded the whole place with booths and tables filled to the rim. Above there was another veranda with boots and tables above but, most of the club was at the underground level. Below there were more booths and an extensive dance floor where bodies moved in a way that would even make Batman blush. There were doors on the darker corners marked as private where you had to pay some more to be let in. Part of him didn't want to know what was going in there, but another did (though he wasn't sure if it was his hero or hormonal side).

"Oh shit," he snapped from his thoughts when he heard Jaime.

"Oh shit," he said when he turned and saw Conner standing face to face with a teenager almost as big as him.

"What did you say you little shit," the teen said poking Conner on the chest.

"Oh shit," Bart said flinching.

They were probably going to get kicked out, he thought hurrying to his friend to try to stop him.

"I said fuck off," Conner said glaring further.

"Or what? Are you and your band of fucktards going to make us?" the teen said glaring at them. But his eyes stopped on Damian (big mistake) before a mocking smile appeared on his face, "look at that brat. He doesn't even reach my- Ghad!"

Damian landed a kick on the teen's crotch and he noted he was wearing the steel reinforced shoes they usually wore on missions.

"What was that? Speak louder won't you," Damian said as the teen collapsed to the ground nursing his anatomy.

"Fuck…" the teen muttered on the ground before his friends stood up and went to confront them.

"Alright, we make no promises you will not leave neutered by brutal force if we release the evil munchkin," Bart said taking hold of Damian by his shirt just before he launched at them.

"Let me go, Allen!" Damian shouted biting the speedster's hand (not for the first time that day).

"So… so you can either scram or receive an equal or worse treatment than your friend," Jaime said flexing his neck. He wasn't muscular, but he was tall enough to look like a threat.

"I don't need your help! I can take them all on my own!" Damian struggled to get himself free from Bart's grip, but no matter how much he bit and kicked Bart wouldn't release him. He had to thank him for that later.

"If we do that, you will bathe in their blood and you dad won't like that. So no," he said before Damian gave him a look that said 'have you gone mad?'

They were stupefied for a moment as they watch Damian try to get to them.

"Leave. Now," Conner said stepping between them.

At that moment, their human primal part took over. He didn't know how Conner did it, but suddenly he felt like a threat to all weaker than him and that was everyone for the exception of a handful of individuals in the world. They were used to facing boundless powers, but these kids weren't. The blood drained from their faces, and they took a step back.

"Take your friend and leave," he told them hoping his voice wasn't shaking.

They did leaving behind them a scent of fear.

The moment they were gone and they had seated on the boot Conner had kicked them out from he felt the fear turn into anger. "What the hell was that?" he whispered knowing Conner would be able to hear them over the loud music.

"Look," Conner said looking at the boot down and across from theirs. The kid didn't need to be wearing designer clothes and sunglasses or be surrounded by scantily dressed girls to know he was a pusher. The way he slipped the little bags to whoever came close to him so carelessly made him understand why his friends had been so upset. There had to be kids almost as young as Damian down there. The rest saw it too.

"So much for a fun night out," Jaime said with a sigh though he didn't look one bit sorry about handling that piece of trash.

"Wrong!" Bart said with a lopsided smile, "I say kicking his ass from here all the way to Gotham sounds like fun to me."

"We can still have fun," he told them, "Bart, get all the drugs in the club into a bag. Damian, come with me."

"What about us?" Conner and Jaime asked looking forwards to getting their hands on the asshole.

"Keep the civilians out of harm's way if things get out of control," he told them.

He got no discussion from them. As he walked to the lowest floor with Damian, he filled him in what their role would be in the plan.

"We should just beat the crap out of him," Damian said as they reached the lowest floor.

"That wouldn't prove anything and he would be back on the streets a few days later," though he didn't deny it would feel good to kick his ass.

"It would be much easier if we jus-"

"It has nothing to do with easy, it's about doing what is right," he interrupted the child.

"Did he make you memorize that?" Damian said rolling his eyes at him.

They made it to the imaginary bubble that was the pusher's territory. The kid couldn't be more than twenty years old. He wasn't surprised as with kids they usually hired people the same age group. "Don't take any unnecessary risks," he stressed before giving Damian a push, "remember you are a rich brat, act like it."

He pulled out his sunglasses and walked towards the kid handing the bags.

"Hey there ace, got anything for me?" he asked leaning over one of the girls so that his words brushed her ear just so and placing a hand her bare shoulder. She shivered under him but didn't push him away.

"Here you go b," the pusher said handing him one of the bags.

"C'mon, this isn't enough," he said tossing the small bag onto the table, "I am here to teach my bro how to get cray-cray. This will not even make us shimmy."

"This is what the admission gets you b. If you want more just go to one of the privies," the pusher said with a smile handing him two little bags since he now noticed Damian on the side looking like a green pea.

"Alright, alright, how much for a few more?" he said graving the two little bags. He dug into his pocket to get the incentive.

"You know it doesn't work like that b," but then he saw the amount of cash he was taking out, "but why don't you join us? There is nothing wrong about sharing among friends, right?"

The girls sitting around him laughed, some not well enough to hide they were there just for the trip the little bags offered.

"Sounds good to me," he laughed as he sat between two of the girls.

"If you take us to a privy, we could show you a real good time," one of them whispered in his ear as the other raked her hands up his leg.

"Maybe another time, I can't leave the brat on his own," he whispered to them before they giggled as they stared at Damian sitting between the pusher and another girl. He couldn't hide he was uncomfortable as the girl leaned over him to lit another cigar for the pusher.

"I have never seen you, are you from around?" the pusher asked him after a long drag.

"From upstate," he lied, "have to say, you guys do know how to have fun."

"Of course!" the dealer laughed, "hope you stay long enough to get a tan. You could actually use one and what best place to do it than California. Girls, did you know California actually means warms land?"

Damian snickered and he begged him with his eyes to not break out of character.

"Now c mon little brat. Even I know a thing or two," the pusher said ruffling Damian's hair, and thankfully it didn't last long or that hand would have a few fractures.

"Is not that," Damian said with a smirk directed at him. "The name California comes from the Spanish novel The Adventures of Esplandiánl; 'Know that on the right hand from the Indies exists an island called California very close to a side of the Earthly Paradise; and it was populated by black women, without any man existing there, because they lived in the way of the Amazons. They had beautiful and robust bodies and were brave and very strong. Their island was the strongest of the World, with its cliffs and rocky shores. Their weapons were golden and so were the harnesses of the captured beasts that they were accustomed to taming so that they could be ridden, because there was no other metal in the island than gold'." Damian quoted the book with a snobbish expression which he wished to smack out at that moment.

The table fell silent and he knew he had to do something or they would get kicked out of the circle.

"Forget him, he is such a nerd. That's why I took him out to have some fun," he said dismissively.

"It's fine," the pusher said with a curious smile, "I wouldn't mind going to a place like that, right girls?" the girls laughed.

They kept making conversation. Drinks were brought and he paid for them as a sign of good will. They were by no means the kind that should be there. When no one noticed, he switched his with those which were already empty. Damian, he noted did the same after taking one sip and sticking his tongue out. Some of the girls found this cute and started doting on him. Damian, of course, didn't appreciate the attention.

"I like you, Fred," the pusher said standing, "what do you say I invite you and these beauties to one of the privies, my treat."

"Sounds good to me," he said glancing up slightly just to see Conner nod at him and see Bart with a backpack which looked ready to explode. They only got a bit of the stuff, but he was sure those private rooms led to a bigger stash.

They went to one of the doors in the darkness and were led to a long hall. Half a dozen doors could be seen and some more around the corner. As they walked, he could hear some of the stuff going inside. He was thankful Damian was walking just behind him and couldn't see him blush. The others would think it was because of the drinks, but the kid would know better. The pusher opened the door which led to a comfy lounge from which the same music from outside played, but at a more tolerable volume.

"Do some reckon," he pulled Damian and whispered. Also, he didn't want the kid there to see what the pusher and those girls were about to do. Grandson of Rash or not, he was still a kid, "we need to find the stash."

Damian nodded before excusing himself to go to the bathroom.

"I bet bringing you kid brother makes things odd, right?" the pusher said as he sat one of the girls on his lap.

"You have no idea," he said sitting before one of the girls started nibbling on his earlobe. Okay, that was his weak point. What did Dick say about someone finding your weak point? Or had it been Bruce? He had closed his eyes for a fraction of a second before they heard something crash.

"What was that?" the pusher stood up and pulled a gun from his back pocket. The girls immediately shrunk back.

"Someone having too much fun," he said with a nervous smile. "Now put that down, the girls didn't come for that, right?" the girl he asked nodded but couldn't meet his eye.

"Right, right," the pusher said placing the gun on a table on the side. Then he started unbuckling his belt "c'mon, we only have half an hour unless you pay for another turn."

Shit, he thought as the pusher grabbed one of the girls by the hair.

They had heard another crash before the door was kicked open. The dealer reached for his gun, but it was gone.

"Looking for this?" Kid Flash asked in full uniform, "sorry gals, the fun is over."

"Fucking capes!" the pusher said pulling out a knife and placing it against the throat of the same girl he had grabbed before, "stand the fuck back!"

"It's over man, don't make this any harder," Kid said scratching the back of his head carelessly though he knew he was just as worried as him. He could probably rush the girl to a hospital if anything happened, but they still didn't want her getting hurt.

"I don't fuc-!" the man shouted as he slipped his hand over the pusher's and twisted his hand away from the girl's throat. Then, he hit the back side of his elbow hard enough so he would release the girl. He turned the knife away from his hand before butting him with his forehead on the nose and then a knee to the solar plexus. He fell to the ground throwing up all he had drunk the previous hour.

"We have nothing to do with him!" he said raising his hands "we don't want any trouble."

"Just get going," Kid Flash said stepping to the side before the girls rushed out. He stopped when his friend placed a hand on his shoulder, "Superboy heard gunshots somewhere in the back. We already cleared the other rooms, but we couldn't find where they keep the stuff. There is another room on the back, which I think that's the kid went to since we can't find him anywhere else."

And as to prove Kid right, they heard a gunshot.

"Let's go," he said before they rushed to the bend of the hall. In the end, they spotted a steel door which had been picked open.

"The kid doesn't know how to cover his tracks," Superboy said depositing some of the 'security' personnel on the ground, all unconscious.

"Unless he wants us to follow him," he told them as put his mask on. As lame as it sounded, he never left home without it.

The moment they were through the door they were being shot at. Superboy used his TK to keep a barrier between them. On the other side what was a warehouse (the building next to the club) they spotted Damian using a pipe to break a man's hand before he had the chance to shoot him. The kid evaded anything that came his way, but he didn't want to wonder for how long.

"Kid, please," he said before his friend was gone and back a moment later holding a bleeding nose.

"He is lucky I heal fast," Kid Flash said flinching as he set his nose straight.

"I will get him," he said feeling a headache coming. Now he understood how the kid was even able to get on Dick's nerves, "Blue, cover me."

"You got it," he said before he started running down the bridge that led to the other side of the warehouse where Damian was still fighting. Blue took down any attacker that shot at him from the sides while he took those which were right ahead. A bullet grazed his shoulder, but that didn't stop him, but he did make sure to snap the man's wrist in a painful angle.

Finally, they arrived at what seemed to be an office and heard a man scream.

"I will make sure no one goes in," Blue said stapling one of the men to the bridge.

He ran inside to find who he guessed was the man at charge tied to a chair with Damian placing a blade right next to his jugular. He was surprised for a moment at seeing Damian wearing his mask.

"Tell me now or even he won't be fast enough to save you," he said pressing the blade and letting a small drop of blood run down the man's skin.

"Robin stop, this is not the way we do things," he said raising his hands to show him he was unarmed.

"Gha! You sound just like him! Do you know how that annoying that is when you aren't related by blood?" Damian said sneering at him.

"At the risk of sounding like him again," he said with a nervous smile, "you shouldn't allow your emotions get the better of you." That was one of the first rules Bruce and Dick taught him. That was what got Jason captured by the Joker and killed.

"You are going to ask me to kill this piece of trash when I tell you what I found," Damian said pulling the man's hair so his throat was bared. "He seems to pride himself on selling the best stuff, and how does he make it? He tests it on runaway kids! Your friends probably already found them, but can you only guess how many died of an overdose and from being treated no better than animals! They deserve justice!"

"This isn't justice!" he shouted doing his best not to rush to the kid. One wrong movement and that artery would be painting the room red, "he will pay by living the rest of his life in jail and if the law seems it fit, then he will be executed. But that will be then, now you are going to let him go!"

"Not without getting the names of his partners first!" Damian said pulling the man's hair harder until they heard the sickening sound of the man's scalp detach from the skull.

"Then you are doing it all wrong," he took and deep breath and said.

"What?" Damian gave him, not for the first time that night, a look that said he didn't believe what he was hearing.

"You have only been with Batman one week; let me teach you a thing or two about making men who have nothing to lose talk," he took his chance and took the blade from Damian. Then, he said to the man tied in front of him in a calm voice, "forgive my young friend, he is new in this business. So, what is your name?"

"Are you seriously going to chat with him?" Damian said going for the pipe he had been using until now. Not surprisingly, it was covered in blood.

"Max!" the man said terrified of Damian.

"Alright Max, you can call me Red Robin, and this guy is Batman's new Robin. You know about Batman, right?"

"You- you are lying, Batman is from-"

"You don't need to tell us twice," he said with a short laugh, "you see. We came here to have fun. Being under the command of the Batman is not easy. You can imagine how upset we were when we found kids receiving drugs in the one place we decided to hang out. Now, I am guessing we weren't just lucky but that something similar is going around. Am I right or am I right?"

The man looked even paler than before.

"But, of course, there is not much you can tell us about them. You aren't actually a boss, just in charge of looking after things. The boss must be someone who is probably drinking champagne as he is accompanied by the finest of companions while you spend your nights here, now you are going to jail for life because of him. Wouldn't you like to get some of that sentence reduced and give him a taste of his own medicine?"

"He will have me killed!" the man said looking ready to pee his pants.

"And I could tell Batman that I lost sight of his latest recruit for a moment an accident involving that pipe and your throat happened. Or you know what would be even better Robin?" he asked giving Damian a lopsided smile. At once the boy stood straighter.

"What Red Robin?" he asked though the name sounded odd coming from him.

"We could call Batman in. You know how through he is. He will probably lock him in that place with the other criminals from Gotham, you know? Like the Joker, Two-Face, and every other assassin who refuses to give out their bosses." Then he said to the man in a whisper, "and can you guess who will be in charge of making sure you get enough food and protection to survive the night?" He gave a pointed look at Damian, "As I said, he is a new, and a kid at that. He is bound to fall asleep every once in a while. That is until you decide to speak."

"You… you are bluffing!" the man's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out.

"You think I am? Now that is funny" but he wasn't laughing. He made sure to keep his most stoic expression, "but I guess you prefer to spend the rest of your days, which will probably not be many. Or maybe enough depending on how long the Joker takes on carving a smile on your face."

"Fine!" the man shouted before he started spilling his guts. He made note that some of the names he heard were of businessmen and others of club owners in the area.

"Good, now was that so hard. Now, listen here, you aren't going to tell the cops anything of what you just told us. If you do, the guys at the force under your boss' payroll will make sure you don't even make it to trial. Just tell them some kids beat you up and nothing more. You might spend the rest of your life in jail, but at least you will be alive, right?"

The man could only nod as a small pool of pee gathered around him.

"Pathetic," Damian said before exiting the room.

"Sorry for the rough handling, the kid got some anger issues," he said with a sigh. However, the man could only stare at him with frightened eyes, "I guess this is a good night for you." And then he had the pleasure to knock the man out with one punch.

When he left the small office, he found his friends waiting for him. Kid Flash and Blue Beetle were actually lecturing Damian about going on his own (as if they hadn't done the same at some point) while Superboy gave him a worried look.

"Everything is under control," he told him, but his friend still looked troubled. "You did see Nightwing do an interrogation at some point, right?"

Superboy shook his head not disbelief, "remind me to not make you my enemy, ever."


	7. Making an Entrance

A Robin, Red Robin 7

He had met with the likes of mad men history had never known. He had worked alongside the best detective in the world. He had fought alongside people who would put their lives on the line any day to protect others. He was proud of not just being their comrade but also their friend.

His closest friends right now, he couldn't hope to be facing this challenge with anyone else but them. Superboy was of the strongest beings on the planet physically. Plus his TK, which allowed him to manipulate his surroundings to his advantage, and his still emerging psychic abilities made him someone you wanted covering your back. Kid Flash was the second or third fastest being on the planet, probably in the universe. He put his heart into everything he did and could be counted on the second you called his name. Still, he managed to make you laugh. Blue Beetle had an alien armor from an ancient conquering race, what else could a guy ask for? Yet, he was once an ordinary guy like him and somehow, either they wanted it or not got pulled into the madhouse that was the life of heroes.

Many would call it glamorous, but not him. The life of heroes a madhouse, you ask? He couldn't think of a better way to describe it. One moment you are fearful, and then next you think you are brave, and then you are laughing at how ridiculous all is. There had been times when he believed he was losing his mind, but then he would see the faces of those he helped and his comrades and he would be reminded things could be a lot worse. For example, he could be searching the city on his own for the biological son of his mentor. Instead, he had his friends who were also tying up all the loose ends Damian left in the wake of his crime fighting spree.

They had stopped the dealers at The Cube, and gotten the names of the rest of the organization. It usually just took a weak link to get names and those were never lacking in the criminal world. While they had been securing the men for the police and freeing the kids they had been using to test the drugs, Damian had slipped away and gone to search for some of those names. It didn't take him long to find out where he went for he had placed a tracker on the kid. The hard part was keeping him still while they cleaned his mess. Thankfully, there were no dead, but he was sure he would hear it from Batman when he found out his ten-year-old had gone on a crime fighting spree unsupervised. And he would know whether he wanted it or not.

It would be impossible for anyone not to find out after the wave of arrests, car chases, and shoot-outs they were involved with. The moment these men realized they were hunt down they took the offense. When the police found their latest catch, they stayed to listen to see if they could hear anything that might be of help.

"Kids! Didn't you hear me the first time? It was a bunch of kids!" one of the drug dealers said as the cops tried to cut through the lamppost Superboy used to tie him and his friends.

"I saw them too! It was Superman and Flash's brats!" his companion said with wide eyes. He heard Superboy and Kid Flash mutter about having names.

"Not just them, I saw the Beetle guy and two other kids wearing masks," another one said with a bruised eye, "the little one was the worst!"

"Calm down pals, are you saying a bunch of sidekicks did this?" the cop said trying not to laugh, to which they all took offense.

"Yes!" all the drug dealers shouted in unity.

"Contact the League's spoke person," the cop said as he started to realize what was going on. Though they hadn't planned it this way, they were getting their name out there.

The rest of the night went the same. Always too close to catching Damian, and always having to clean up the mess he left behind. He had to admit the kid was driven but had no consideration at all for collateral damage. Yeah, he got the bosses, but that usually stirred whole organizations into attacking them the moment they made it to their territories.

"Please tell me that is the last guy," Kid Flash asked gift wrapping another group of shooters. The red bow was an interesting detail though he was sure Batman would never allow something like that in Gotham.

"There is only their boss left," he told him thinking of all the names they had gotten at the beginning of that crazy chase. He checked the small computer he always carried with him, like the mask, it was a must. It took him a minute to find where the man lived.

"I will get him," Superboy said looking at the address before taking off.

"_Dios, _I am beaten," Blue said sitting on one of the crates in the warehouse. One of the doors was open and they could just barely see the dark sky start turning red. "Hey, you were right. We did stay out until the sun came out," Blue laughed before Bart hit him on the back of the head, "hey!"

"Now you know how that feels," Kid Flash said before he sat on the floor. Though tired, his friend was smiling "all of those kids made it to the hospital. Hopefully they all have a home to return to."

But they knew that would not be the case but it didn't mean they couldn't help. He sent a message to Alfred to have the Wayne Charities look into the matter. Before they could go back to an ordinary life, they would have to go to rehab.

"Let's try it again," he said before the other two turned to look at him, "go for a night's out."

"I don't know," Blue said, "maybe the hero work and having fun just doesn't mix."

"You are kidding, right?" Kid Flash said with a strained smile. Poor kid must be so exhausted even his mask was slipping, "Gramps goes to sing karaoke every time the Green Lantern comes to town."

"Are they any good?" he asked curiously.

"Gramps is, just comes to show the Allen family has many gifts," Bart said before yawning. The smile he gave him next was a little more sincere, "the Green Lantern is terrible. What about Batman?"

"You are not seriously asking that, are you?" Blue asked him trying to rein in his laughter. For some reason, even he found the idea humorous.

"Why not?" Kid asked sincerely.

"I have no idea, but I will ask Nightwing," maybe that's the favor he would ask of Nightwing. He was sure it would really be fun to have him find out and try not to have Batman notice. If he did, he could just imagine him trying to explain.

"Let's do that next time," Kid Flash said, "I saw a karaoke place not far from here. No clubs, no assassin trained brats, or having drug dealers shoot at us; just good old out of tune singing."

"Ha, speak for yourself," Blue said before clearing his throat.

Had Blue drank something when he didn't notice or was he really just that tired that his usually shy friend didn't care anymore?

"This is a song I used to hear my granddad play on his guitar," he told a bit sheepish, okay now that was the Blue he knew. "It's called Outside(_Afuera_ by _Caifianes_)."

8

"_For many years you believe_

_That falling means rising back up_

_And all of a sudden, you can't get up_

8

_That love is only temporary_

_That anything can happen_

_And all of a sudden, you are so alone_

8

_Ooooutside, outside you don't exist, only inside_

_Ooooutside, outside I don't take care of you, just inside_

_Ooooutside, the wind tears you apart without hesitation_

_Ooooutside, no one's anything, only inside_

_Ahhhhhh, ahhhh, ahh_

8

_Years go by and you remain_

_Believing you can pray_

_And all of a sudden, you're already lost_

_8_

_And you believe you can believe_

_And have all the power_

_And all of a sudden, you're left with nothing_

_8_

_Ooooutside, outside you don't exist, only inside_

_Ooooutside, outside I don't take care of you, just inside_

_Ooooutside, the wind tears you apart without hesitation_

_Ooooutside, no one's anything, only inside_

_Ahhhhhh, ahhhh, ahh."_

8

"Karaoke it is," he said shaking his head astounded.

"The cops are coming," Blue said before standing up and stretching, "let's get going."

"Do we have to? If we are moving to this city, it might be good for them to see us. They might actually start getting our names right" Kid Flash said.

"I am sure these guys will tell them," he told the speedster.

"Wait, just give me like five seconds," Kid said before leaving for a moment and then returning with a hand painted banner.

"Okay, you have gone mad with lack of sleep. Let's go before you decide to tell them you are the Flash's grandson from the future," Blue said reaching for the banner.

"Let him hang it," he said and wondered if he was the one who had gone mad with the lack of sleep.

"You heard the boss," Kid Flash said before hanging the banner over the criminals.

'YOU ARE WELCOME- The Titans.'

888

Superboy and Damian were back at the loft by the time they made it there. The kid had heavy eye bags but somehow managed to keep his glare up.

"There are some sleeping bags in the closet," he said before giving a long yawn. Kid Flash had gone fetch them and spread them out the living room.

"No running away this time, we all need to rest and that includes you," he told Damian. The kid behaved as if he hadn't heard him before taking over his bedroom and the queen sized bed.

"Good, I don't think I could have slept with him in the same room," Bart said removing his suit and only leaving behind a pair of shorts and undershirt. "Now, if anyone wakes me up before midday I will not be responsible for my actions but I assure you, none of you will like it."

888

When he woke up, it was with the enticing scent coming from his kitchen. Conner was just waking up too.

"Breakfast or is it lunch? Whatever, it will be ready in a few minutes," Bart said already sitting at the island in the kitchen setting up the plates and utensils. Jaime was doing the cooking though he wondered where he got the ingredient since Bart ate just about everything in the place the day before.

"I am not volunteering, but I think we should wake up Damian, the kid has barely anything since he got here," Jaime said.

"Not it!" Bart had said before Conner gave him a questioning look.

"I will go," he knew the kid wasn't probably too happy at Conner for catching him a few hours ago. After knocking on the wooden door of his bedroom and hearing nothing, he took a deep breath and went in. Nothing was broken and the bed was unmade, but there was no sign of the kid. He checked the window but it was locked and the sensor didn't report anything. He looked up and saw the ventilation shafts were still screwed and then checked the bathroom. The kid had taken a shower at some point, which was something they all needed. He was about to give up when he heard very soft breathing. The bed, he thought, it was unmade but still too neat. Checking underneath would be pointless. The kid was smarter than that.

He walked up to his closet and opened it. To the typical person, it was just a closet with clothing and shoes. He touched the back of the closet and waited for the scanner to recognize his handprint before it split open to a small room of six by six feet. The place was meant to work as a bunker and also to store anything from his not so ordinary activities. He wouldn't have someone try to rob him and find out his other identity by accident. Though he knew better than to ask, he wondered how Damian got in. The kid was sleeping on a small bed in the corner with an arsenal of weapons at close reach.

"Time to eat," he said not taking a step closer.

"I don't want any of that trash you call food," the kid opened his eyes. He was probably awake the moment he entered the bedroom.

"It's called junk food for a reason, and no. It's real food," he said before Damian sat up, "C'mon, the rest are waiting."

Damian followed him all the way to the kitchen where the rest were seated while Jaime poured the scrambled eggs with ham on their plates. There was a large pitcher with orange juice on the table and also a bowl with many sorts of fruit. As odd as it was, he felt as if he was eating with his family.

"… I was hoping you would pick the University of Metropolis," whatever had been said before he missed it but didn't take long to understand.

"It will be a lot easier if I am here," Jaime said, "Besides, the internship here is one of the best in the country."

"Ah! Don't remind me of school. I wish gramps would just let me skip. I am so bored at that place and the super-speed doesn't help. Each second feels like a minute," Bart said with a dramatic sigh.

"Sorry _hombre,_ we can't help you there," Jaime said.

"Flash is the definition of a nice guy, but even he has a limit," he knew the scarlet speedster drew a line when it came to family related matters. Batman had allowed him to complete High School online and had taken about a month to do so. He took college classes online when he had the chance towards an International Business major, not that they had too much to teach him with what his father and Bruce had already taught him.

"I don't think I have ever heard you mention any friends from school," Conner said giving the young speedster a questioning look.

"Because there aren't any," Bart said without care before a frown appeared on his face, "I just sort of blend into the background."

"That is difficult to believe," he could help saying.

"Okay, so a few teachers don't like me, but that's about it," Bart said before he gave into their curious looks "I corrected them a few times."

"And that probably means all the time," Jaime said with a laugh.

"I hated High School," Conner said, "I already knew everything they had to teach and more."

"So you get it!" Bart said with a smile.

"Yes and no," Conner said before Bart crossed his arms, "though listening to long lectures was tedious, the friends I made helped." With a slight smile, Conner continued "acting normal sometimes is nice. Why do you think so many have a civilian identity to retreat to? Flash probably wants you to have some of that."

"Right," Bart said with a forced laugh.

"What about finding a girlfriend," Jaime told him after clearing his throat.

"What for?" Bart asked before Jaime ran a hand down his face and glared at the speedster.

"I am not explaining that," Conner said with a nervous laugh, "you brought it up."

"No way _Jose_," Jaime said, "is not my fault he has no natural human instincts."

"A natural and healthy part of growing is showing interest in others and forming relationships," and even he knew a relationship though sometimes troublesome, was _good_ in more than one way. Of course, if the other person was stable. "Forming a bond with someone you find stimulating and visually pleasing when you feel ready can make the civilian part of your life more enjoyable. We are not telling you to rush into it, but consider it."

"Oh okay," Bart said a bit shook. He knew his friend did his best to act happy, but he didn't want it to be an act. "I think there is a girl," he said before Jaime spat his drink, almost splashing Conner, who stopped it just in time with his TK.

"Sorry," Jaime said to the not so amused Conner.

"Try talking to her," Conner said, "just ordinary things, and if you don't know what ordinary is then talk about things that interest her."

"Smooth," Jaime said before slapping his friend on the back, "so, who is the lucky girl?"

"Not telling," Bart said as a slight tint of red appeared on his face.

"Oh God, he is serious!" Jaime said, "alright, we won't pray but at least ask us for help if you need it."

"Right, because we all have so much experience," he had only dated Cassie, Conner had only dated M'gann, and Jaime sort of dated his childhood friend Brenda, but that was about it.

"Don't you dare start swapping story because I swear I will find a way to hurt each and every one of you," Damian said with a flinch. Until then he had been listening to them with a blank look.

"C'mon, it was getting interesting," Dick said from the kitchen entrance before a few of them got startled.

"You know, you better ask him," he said giving Dick, also known as 'the dog,' a pointed look, "on having relationships that last no longer than a month."

"Is not my fault women only seek to use me," Dick said shamelessly before joining them, "but who can blame them."

888

By the time they all had left he felt as tired as a few hours ago. He thought over the words he had told Bart and wondered if he should apply them to himself. Though their line of work was dangerous, it didn't mean he could meet someone. Maybe someone not in the same business, though from watching Bruce having them on the shadows usually pushed them away. That was probably the reason why Dick couldn't stay with a girl for that long. Maybe, he thought, attending to some classes in person could help with that.

888

"I appreciate you coming here to ask me. But, I will give you the same answers as I did to the League; no," Victor Stone said as he worked on a new project alongside Dr. Valerie Perez. It seemed the remains of their time machine were now being used to study the way time molecules behaved after being spent.

"Yeah, because the guy with the sonic cannon and the fastest computer for a brain can't help fight crime," Dr. Perez said. Victor threw her an angry look, "Hey, I am just being real."

"I didn't say I couldn't help. I will, just not in the traditional way," Victor said, "if you need any help with tech or information, I will be more than happy to assist."

"You could do a lot of good if you were more involved," he knew Victor wasn't just strong, but also brave. He had gone through the painful procedure that led him to become half machine.

The man sighed before motioning for him to sit down, "look, I already tried the whole team thing a few years back, just ask Nightwing."

"He won't tell us much about it," but he had never thought Victor had been involved in that team. After the defeat of the Reach, Nightwing went on his own for about six months. They suspected he had formed another team, but when he returned after the pleading of some of his old friends he didn't give names or anything. The only he had been able to get was Starfire and that was because Nightwing had a picture of her in his locker at the Watch Tower. After he had broken into it, the picture disappeared.

"Wait, you were part of a hero team?" Dr. Perez stopped what she was doing and went to sit next to him, "spill it, Victor."

"But the experiment needs to-"

"It can wait a few minutes besides I won't be able to concentrate until I hear this,"

"Fine," he said rolling his eye at them, "we were the Outsiders."

"Oh dark and mysterious," Dr. Perez said before giggling.

"I am leaving if you interrupt me again," Victor warned.

"Sorry, go ahead," she said placing her hands on her lap and sitting straight.

"It was Nightwing who called us together. I am sure you have heard of Starfire. They met when she crashed on Earth and he helped her get away from her pursuers. Besides her, there was Beast Boy though he rarely met with us since he was doing it behind the League's back. There was also another girl who went by Raven. We don't know where Nightwing met her, but she was a magic user. We went in a couple of missions, but it just didn't work out. We all wanted to do things our own way and to be sincere some of us couldn't handle the tempers of others."

"I knew Beast Boy was behaving oddly back then, but I didn't think he would go that far," he said to himself more than them. How didn't Miss Martian or anyone else for that matter find out? His friend lived in the Watch Tower, so he had to use the Zeta-Beam to get to meet the once Outsiders.

"I will tell you this, I miss that kid. He was fun to be around," Victor said with a short laugh, "if you see him, tell him I said hi and sorry for telling you about his sneaking about. I trust you won't tell the League, right?"

"No, our team operates separate from theirs," he said before he asked Victor about the other person he mentioned, "this Raven person, is she any good?"

"She kept a lot to herself, but she was a good kid. I would say around your age and was as new to the whole hero business as I was. Last time I spoke to her, she said she was moving to Metropolis. Since I haven't heard of her doing anything hero like, I can only guess she hung up the cape," Victor said looking a little worried. "If you decide to look for her, make sure she is okay. From what I was able to gather, she didn't have a normal childhood. I am sure she has kept quiet only because she wanted to live normally for a while."

"That's so sweet," Dr. Perez said with a playful smile before bolting from her chair and running away.

"Coward!" Victor called with a crooked smile.

"Have you asked her out?" he asked Victor.

"Now, what in the world do you mean by that?" the man turned to give him a confused look.

"Just like what it sounds like. You like her, don't you?" it was clear by the way they talked and teased each other.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but my looks leave a lot to be desired," Victor said scratching the back of his head.

"You will never know if you don't ask," he said hoping he had been reading Dr. Perez right.

"I can't believe a kid- hold old are you anyways? Never mind, get out of here kid before I make you leave," though he tried to sound offended Victor Stone couldn't help laughing.

"Fine, fine, but I will still call you if we need your help," he said getting up and shaking the man's metallic hand.

888

He glared at Dick sitting across from him. He said it was only one time.

"No," he said as firmly as possible.

"C'mon, is not going to be even a whole day," Dick said with a friendly smile.

"No," he repeated.

"I agree with Drake. It was a torture last time," Damian said sitting next to Tim at the table.

"Right, like going off to fight bad guys on your own was so boring," Dick said rolling his eyes at the kid. He seemed a bit more relaxed than the last time he saw him, which made him believe things were progressing in Blüdhaven.

Bruce coughed; family dinners were supposed to be about family and shop talk was meant to be left out. Even the Batman liked to have peaceful meals.

"Sorry," Dick said to the man at the head of the table.

"I can take care of myself," Damian said raising his chin.

"Have you ever been to a movie theater?" Bruce asked.

"What?" both he and Dick asked.

"Yeah, what?" Damian asked.

"I believe one of those movies reenacting the Roman armies is playing," Alfred said starting to serve the desert. "Something Master Damian should be able to appreciate, or at least find something to talk about."

"I don't think so," he said wondering if he could make a quick getaway if he jumped through the window.

"The glass is bulletproof," Dick said with a smirk.

"I feel betrayed," he said with a sigh, "you already owe me one."

"And I am working on it," Dick said making sure not to look in Bruce's way.

"I will help funding the construction of your base and add to that an allowance," Bruce said keeping a poker face, "if you look after him every once in a while."

"You do know he went on a rampage the last time we tried that, right?" was that the reason why Bruce hadn't reprimanded him about that night?

"Yeah, he is terrible at it and don't I get a saying in any of this?" Damian said glaring at his father.

"Nope," Dick said before ducking down from a flying fork.

"No strings attached?" he knew he would end up doing it anyways and it would be easier to just accept the exchange than to have Dick ask him every time.

"No strings attached under the condition that is spent responsibly," Bruce said.

"We are teenagers," and though sometimes they didn't behave like it, they still were.

"Yeah! I heard them talk about females!" Damian said standing up and trying to find a way out now that he had accepted.

"Oh, the horror, females," Barbara who hadn't said anything until then said with a laugh. "Are you sure he is yours?" she asked Bruce before he and Dick tried not to laugh.

"He is ten," Bruce said with a smirk.

"I am well aware of wha-!" the ten-year-old started though he was unable to stop his reddening cheeks.

"Is not the same," Dick interrupted him still trying not to laugh as the kid reached for another fork. "Has he met Poison Ivy?"

"Don't even go there," he said remembering the first time he met the scantily dressed woman.

"I have read her file, what about her?" Damian asked.

"Oh gosh, I can't believe I am saying this but he just did cute, didn't he?" Barbara said giving Damian the sweetest of smiles.

The kid grumbled something under his breath along the lines of 'I am not cute, I am a warrior' before sitting back down and eating his desert.


	8. Recruitments

A Robin, Red Robin 8

He was watching one of the reports on his computer born from their first night in San Francisco as a team. Though Superman had made sure they got some good rep from ClarkCatropolis, there were many out there still that made sure to remind the world they were young and too powerful. In the background, there was the image of a forest on fire. It was the Białowieża Forest in Russia. The recording of the actual fire was replaced by that of the now barren landscape.

"It may be too soon to be declared it a plague, but Metahuman teenagers seem to be springing up everywhere," Maxine Michaels, a reporter said from the site.

"And for the moment, there appears to be no legal controlling authority holding these kids accountable!" Godfrey said as he showed another disaster caused supposedly by teen Metahumans. "It looks like those delinquents because yes what they are doing is against the laws; seem to think the rules don't apply to them. The League is not even doing something involving their own! It's like they expect us the people of the United States to pick up the tab for their messes! No big surprise there as they do the same all the time!"

He shut his computer close and leaned back on his chair. He had already contacted Red Star. He was fine though a little shaken. He wasn't sure what it exactly was, but it seemed something had been chasing him through the forest. Since he was one of the Metas La Dama had captured, he was a little too fast to react to a similar threat. The worst of all, it hadn't been an isolated incident. Goddiva and Static had also been attacked. It all started right after their name as a team was revealed to the world.

He closed his eyes and tried to think, but couldn't find any connection between them with the exception that they were all Metas.

888

He arrived in the large city a few hours ago, and though the directions were clear, it still took him some time to find the small Café in Mexico City. _El Rincon_ (The Corner) was full and lively with young men and women chatting over coffee, tea and pastries. When he entered, he saw faces he had only seen in his files. The first man went by Gabe (Gabriel); his hair was blonde while his eyes were a light shade of brown. He would have thought of him a tourist hadn't been for his perfect use of the resident language. His partner's name was Miguel; a tall man with dark spiked hair and tan skin. Of the two he was the most flamboyant as he chatted with every customer that called his attention. Both men wore formal pants, dress shirts, and black vests. Though the place was busy, they were the only ones tending to the patrons.

He sat on a small table and waited for his turn as he studied them. Both of them had become weary of him the moment he entered the café, but nonetheless they asked for his order. He sensed Gabriel was trying to probe his mind. He placed the mental walls he had been taught. The young man flinched before whispering to his partner. Miguel, the taller and stronger looking of the two made a direct line towards him with the clear intention of kicking him out. He was a threat to them, they didn't know how, but that was their first reaction after being raised in a culture that wasn't initially acceptant of them or their feelings.

"_Leave now," _Miguel told him placing his palms on the table and glaring at him. He could see a hint of violet in his eyes and knew he was holding his abilities back.

"_Azul _(Blue)_ said he was sorry he couldn't make it," _he said calmly before the young man gave him a questioning look, _"you can call me Tim."_

Miguel turned to look at his partner who was frowning. He knew when someone was communicating telepathically and not long after the couple was closing the business early and apologizing to their loyal patrons.

"Just who are you when you aren't Tim?" Miguel asked him sitting across from him and crossing his arms.

"Maybe at another time," he told them offhandedly.

"And what brings you all the way here _Tim_," Gabe said standing next to his partner before joining hands with him. If he were here to give them trouble because of their feeling, they wouldn't allow it.

"I heard you two didn't accept the invitation to join the JLI," he had kept track of every single Meta in their database, and he found curious these two had declined the offer.

"We like our lives as they are now," Miguel told him.

"Crime rate has gone down in this area by sixty percent since you opened this place," he knew they were the reason.

"If you came to try to convince us to join you are barking at the wrong tree. We belong to this city," Gabe told him quietly.

"I don't doubt that. I am actually fond of a city myself." He still made sure to be up today with anything happening in his home city "but I believe you could benefit from spending time with others who had been at this longer than you. _Azul_ is among them."

"You mean the Titans?" Miguel asked with a frown. They had made the news all the way there.

"But you are all sideki-" Gabe started to say.

"We are not sidekicks. We now operate separately from the League," he told them firmly.

"And that makes things so much better" Miguel rolled his eyes at him, "look, we appreciate the offer but we are doing okay on our own."

"But you could be better. Doesn't your city deserve better?" he asked and both men looked as he had slapped them. He wasn't going to pull back the punches if he wanted them onboard. This city was a sanctuary for the LGBT community as it was one of the largest in the world and had legalized same-sex marriage almost ten years ago. The matching bands on their fingers told him they would do anything to protect their city.

"Of course it does," Miguel said biting the bait and he knew it. The way he glared at Tim told him he resented him for not giving him another choice.

"Miguel…" Gabe said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You have stopped small time crimes, but what about when you have to face the big guys? How long will it before _El Muerto, _Phanta, and Acrata are either gone or retired?" but he didn't give them a chance to answer. He reminded them the grim truth, "Aztek is gone and you don't need me to tell you there isn't yet someone suitable to wear his armor."

"But you are asking us to leave our city unprotected while we go with you. The moment those bastards realize that we are gone, they are going to take their revenge to the people," Gabe told him with a frown.

"Only Friday to Sunday," Tim told them trying to keep a calm expression. He didn't need to add another no to his list, "just give me those days and I swear to you that you will learn more than you ever hoped for. I will get you from and to home every single time."

The couple communicated through Gabe's link with ease for a few minutes. What he would give to have someone that could create that link in their team. He knew Conner was working on that part of his powers, but he knew his friend didn't have much patience for idle talk like Miss Martian did. He was going to ask her too, but he doubted she would accept since she was now in charge of the Team.

"I am not going," Gabe said, "we don't want the area unprotected while Miguel is over there."

He blinked taking in what this meant.

"We are going to have to hire someone to help you while I am gone," Miguel said to Gabe.

"Great, there are things we still need to get ready so it will be a few weeks before we start," he told them with a smile. "Though I hope you do come every once in a while Gabe, we know quite a few psychics that could help you better understand and use your abilities."

"If I get a chance, I will," Gabe said with a polite smile.

888

He walked through Central Park in New York. It was a sunny day and people were taking full advantage of it. Part of him wished to just sit in one of the benches and relax. Since Bart had interrupted his meditation with the puppet madness, he hadn't found the chance to relax. When he finally spotted his objective sooner than he had expected, he wondered he would be able to take a nap on the grass without being disturbed afterward. He walked up to a young African American woman on a mat performing the Eka Pada Hamsa Parsvottanasana position perfectly. He didn't care what others thought; yoga sometimes just seemed so painful.

"Are you just going to stare or are you going to talk to me?" she asked with a sigh. He guessed she was used to guys just stopping to watch her.

"Celine Patterson?" he asked as she turned her body to an upright position.

"Yeah?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have come to talk to you about Skitter," he said keeping his posture open. He didn't want her to think he was a threat.

"What about _it_?" she said the last part losing her previous calmness. It seemed Skitter was the topic that put her on edge.

"Do you know Skitter?" he asked her. The news had been covering about the creature called Skitter on the news for a few months now. This girl had a close encounter when Skitter saved her. He was surprised the League or the Team hadn't approached her.

"Sort of, but more importantly; what do you want with _it?"_ she asked rolling her shoulders. She didn't like stress.

"I want to talk to _her_ about what she has been doing downtown. I know some people that could use her help and she could get some help from them as well. I understand she has trouble with her physiology," he told her trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"Do you really think they can help her?" she asked as all skepticism drained from her tone.

"It's better than not trying," he told her glad to hear her no longer refer to her as an _it._

"Look, she is not the most approachable of creatures. Tell these people to go downtown tonight and keep an eye for the darkest alleys. They should be able to find her," she said as she started rolling her mat. "Just make sure they don't threaten her. She doesn't take well to threats."

"Don't tell me she is skittish?" he asked her throwing a smile.

"That's why I hate that name," she said with a dry laugh, "look Skitter is a cute name, but she isn't. So make sure they get that."

"Got it," he said before waving goodbye to Celine.

That was the night he would wear his new uniform outside for the first time. He stood in front of the mirror of his hotel room making sure it felt comfortable though he had tried it out at least half a dozen times since it was completed. His last visit to the mansion hadn't been just for the family dinner. Alfred at the time had insisted on helping with his uniform, as he did for every single one of Bruce's partners when they joined him or when they moved on to other names. He even had a new uniform for Damian and returned Jason's to its case.

"No more green and yellow" That's the first thing he had said at the time of the measurements. Red was, of course, a must and being part of the Bat clan meant that black was also necessary.

"You are not leaving me with much to work Master Tim," Alfred had laughed as he worked on his old sketchbook. The old man had too many talents.

He wanted something closer to Batman's style, but soon found the cowl was uncomfortable and left his head looking like a bird's nest. How did Bruce do it? He tried a headband but realized he looked a little too close to Dr. Midnight, so he scraped that idea. So, he opted for the old school domino mask though a bit longer on the sides. If is not broken, why fix it?

Black combat boots, black pants with red guards on the knees and sides of his tights. The black belt was equipped with everything he could think of and more. The top of the uniform was black with a red chest. His hands were covered by black gloves which also had red guards.

"Something seems to be missing," Alfred said as he looked at the design.

"A symbol," Dick said from the door and pointed to his chest.

He had been playing with the small robin rock at the time. It was no brainer what should go there; on a golden circle they placed the silhouette of a robin. From there the uniform started to take a different form. From the emblem, they added straps that formed an X on his chest. More space for gadgets was always welcomed. They added those straps also to his forearms. He modified his wings to match with the uniform and in a few days the uniform was ready for its first run.

He glided through the city looking for what Celine had said; downtown, dark alleys, shady characters. It wasn't hard to find a place to observe the area. He went over what he knew about Skitter. She scared the hell out of criminals (he liked that), could spin webs, had more than two pairs of limbs, could crawl on vertical surfaces, and was strong and fast. Other than that, he didn't know much. He watched the streets wondering if he would have to go back to the hotel and return in civvies to get attacked and draw her out.

"KIKT!" he heard a screech before he heard shooting. The screech hadn't been human, but whatever it was (and he guessed it was Skitter), was being attacked. He made it to a small park and saw flashes of light in the canopy of the trees. Soon enough, he spotted the infamous Skitter. The moment she spotted him, she started moving towards him. He wasn't sure if to attack him or seek his help. However, there was something he couldn't disregard.

"Celine?" her face was all he could recognize the young woman he met that morning and at that barely.

"KIR KRITIK KIH!" she screeched on a mouth that didn't open like a human's mouth, but that was the least of the changes. Her limbs, including the additional pair of arms on her torso were covered with a yellow exoskeleton. Her chest and abdomen were covered in a darker version of it. On her back, spider-like legs sprouted out making her movement through the canopy seem natural and fast. Her hair had turned into a spiked and dangerous crown while the contour of her head and neck were covered in the insectoid like armor. Her eyes were completely white as she extended her hands turned claws towards him.

He was about to turn and glide away before he spotted the things chasing after her, and of course shooting at her too.

"Get down!" he shouted at her before she dropped from the canopy to the ground just in time for him to launch his explosive birdarangs. The machines had resembled giant insects. When they realized they weren't alone they started to leave. He tried to catch one, but a scared screech got his attention. He turned to see one of the machines had stuck to Skitter's shoulder and she couldn't get it off. He took out his staff as he jumped down and hit the machine destroying it.

The silence that followed was long.

"Celine," he asked before Skitter looked down as if ashamed. She made a soft sound on the back of her throat. He realized she couldn't speak in this form and was ashamed of it. "Can you turn back at will?" he asked her.

She pressed her lips tightly together before shaking her head no.

"Before I make my offer, I think we should wait for you to be able to ask some questions too," he said before she nodded. She made a motion for him to follow with her head before he did. As he flew behind her, he saw she was agile, strong, and knew how to keep to the shadows. He wondered if it was instinct or it was her wish not to be seen. This form was by no means pretty, but that could be good in their line of business.

They made it to a small flat where she collapsed on a bed. He was about to ask what she was doing before she started to change. The extra limbs, spider-like extremities coming from her back, exoskeleton, everything receded until dark, flawless skin began to show. When he realized there would be nothing to cover her he turned around. A few moments later he heard her sit up.

"What did I do now?" she asked after gasping and pulling a blanket to cover her young body.

"You don't remember?" he asked her frowning.

"Oh God, don't tell me we- how could you!" she threw a pillow at his back, followed closely by a shoe that hit him on the back of the head.

"No!" he shouted resisting the urge to turn and look at her in the face, "we didn't!" He took a deep breath and then said in a calmer tone "you were being chased by some things at the park. I helped you, and you had me follow you here. Then you changed, that's all."

"Oh," she said sounding relieved. He didn't blame her.

"You don't remember anything?" he asked her.

"Sometimes, not always," she said as she searched for clothes. "Is like a dream to me. Actually I change when I am sleeping; I am only telling you this because she trusts you. She has never trusted anyone before."

"Her?" he asked her.

"I can't really say me," she said as she dressed.

"Do you have any idea why anyone would be searching for you?" besides that she was a Meta with some unusual powers.

"I don't know, but it isn't the first time. One day I woke up and found this" she said behind him. "You can turn around," she said with a short laugh.

A full mask would be helpful right then. He had turned around before she handed him what seemed to be a pilot's helmet. On the side of the helmet, it said N.O.W.H.E.R.E.

"I think she took it as a trophy or clue. I really don't get what she is thinking more than half of the time," Celine said as she sat on her bed.

N.O.W.H.E.R.E. was his vain. He had barely been able to find anything about them since he told Superboy he would help him find Dr. Spencer. The name had popped up a few times, most of the time when it came to young Metas being attacked. Virgil had been among them, but he fried the mechanical hounds and also any clue that could have helped them. He had heard from a few others like Red Star, and Godiva had also been targeted and escaped. They had not thought it was the same assailants because they were so far from each other, but who was not to say they weren't. These were the people that created Superboy.

"So, who are you?" she asked him.

"They call me Red Robin," and by _they_, he meant the handful of people who knew him. "I am part of the Titans."

"The kids from San Francisco?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"None of us is from San Francisco, but that's where we operate from," or where they will be operating from.

"Let me guess, you want me to join you. Sorry, but as you can see my abilities aren't very trustworthy. If I wake up in the middle of something, and it has happened, I will be utterly defenseless and useless," not to mention naked.

"We can help you learn to control your abilities, there is always a way," okay, so he was bluffing, but that was always half of the game. The bad guys didn't need to know that.

"I don't know," she said biting her lip.

"Look, think it over but I also recommend you to consider your current situation. If N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is after you, it won't be long before they find out who you are when you aren't sleeping. We can provide you with protection. We got some strong hitters."

"You really know how to persuade a lady, don't you?" she said with a saddened smile.

He learned from the best, he wanted to say it but just returned her the smile.

"If you don't mind, I would like to keep an eye on you for tonight," he told her.

She nodded in understanding, "I will get you some blankets."

He had sat on a lonely sofa before she returned with a couple of blankets and a pillow. He stood up to receive them.

"So," she said unable to meet his eyes. She was actually blushing. He had to bet she never had a guy at her place. Risking them to find her secret was too dangerous.

"So," he said wondering how to handle this. He wondered if he could get a gadget that could measure the amount of hormones in the air.

Their fingers brushed under the blankets and though his were covered he felt the jolt that ran through his back. She jumped slightly but didn't pull back until a few moments later.

"I didn't say it earlier but thank you for what you did today. Whoever you really are, you are a good guy," she said giving him an awkward smile.

"It was nothing," he tried to say sincerely, but he wasn't feeling it. Good guy; great. Just what he was going for. Missed 'annoying kid brother' by an inch.

She went to bed assuring him she wouldn't transform again. It seemed it only happened once every night. He made note of it wondering if that was her limitation or just psychological. Maybe she could control the transformation, but just didn't realize it.

The following morning no one had come looking for Celine. He had to guess she was somehow off N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s radar, for the moment. He had been trying the whole morning to think the way they were. He knew they were on his trail some time back. People watching him from afar, an attack here or there, trying to hack into his files, but never a clue as to who they were until then. Superboy had told him they were dangerous people and what they could do to him, but for some reason they hadn't. He could remember them just fine. Was it because they didn't know he knew they were the ones behind his friend's creation or something else? He was interested in recruiting Metas; they were interested in capturing them. That was probably the connection they saw.

"I don't want to be a hero," she said sitting next to him, "I just want to be able to control this and live a normal life." She clenched her hands tightly, probably waiting for his reprisal. He wondered if she thought he was judging her for not doing something with her abilities. It would be too easy to do just that, but he knew he had no right to judge her. They were talking about her life. She had the right to do what she wanted with it.

Seems fair," he said before he heard her release a breath she had been holding, "but we need to move you to another location. This city is no longer safe for you."

"San Francisco?" she asked with a frown, "I need to get my stuff moved and find a place to stay."

"I already have a place," he said before she raised an eyebrow at him, "I secured multiple apartments for those who will be joining us until our base of operations is completed."

"Oh," she said.

"Give me a moment," he said standing before bringing his phone out and calling a number. "Hey Kid, can you come to New York?" he gave his friend the address and a few moments later they heard knocking.

"No way," Celine said as he opened the door and there stood Kid Flash.

"Kid Flash, this is Skitter, Skitter this is Kid Flash," he said closing the door behind his friend.

"Hey," Kid Flash said with a mouthful. He had called him while he was having breakfast. "Nice to meet you Skitter, Kid Flash, but Red already said that, but I like to make my own introductions. Cool name by the way. Did you come up with it? It's so cool you are joining us. I think you are the first girl on the team."

"Ni-nice to meet you too, ehm, my twin sister picked the name," she said backing up a little.

"You have a twin? That is so crash. It will make it so much easier when you go on missions," Kid Flash said with a bright smile.

"She is only in for the training, no cape work," he told his friend who lost his smile for a fraction of a second.

"That's a shame," Kid clicked his tongue "but what can you do? So, what can I do?"

"We need to move Celine's stuff to one of the apartments in San Francisco," he said as he sent him the address in a message.

"What? Am I now the errand boy?" not long ago his friend had helped the League move a girl in witness protection to Star City.

"Someone is after her. Is too dangerous for her to stay here on her own," he told Kid Flash, who then sighed.

"Alright, be right back," he said before going and returning with boxes, "you pack your own clothes, I don't move heavy furniture; I am fast not Superboy."

"We will have your furniture placed in storage, and the apartment is already furnished," he explained to her so she wouldn't worry.

Celine could only nod before she took some of the boxes to her closet and started filling them out.

"Alright, so I heard one of the guys in Mexico is in, and then this girl, who is next?" Kid Flash asked him giving Celine a glance.

"Solstice," he said watching for the reaction of his friend. Without a doubt, he started fidgeting, "I was hoping you could come along since she already knows you."

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said scratching the back of his head.

"She shot you down?" he asked.

"How did you- never mind. Not entirely. I told her I wanted to hang out with friends, but she said she had too much stuff going on," Kid said looking defeated. "I think she will probably say the same to you."

"If we help her deal with whatever she has going on she might say yes, to both of us," it couldn't be that difficult, right?

"I guess is worth a try," Kid Flash said with a small smile, "alright, let's get moving."


	9. Solstice

A Robin, Red Robin 9

He had known Bart for almost two years now. He had seen the other teen become anxious, but this was taking it to a whole new another level. He had gone from the city and gotten food who knew how many other times and he was speaking so fast he couldn't understand a word he was saying. If Solstice weren't such a powerhouse, he would be reconsidering asking her to join them. He didn't want his friend distracted when they were out there, so he knew he had to have a chat with him. Bart would probably take it the wrong way as he was almost as new as him at this stuff, but it was what it was. A lot of rules would have to be established before the Titans were fully functional, but they knew from the beginning this would not be easy.

"How does my hair look?" Bart asked running his hands through his hair again.

"Come here," he said before his friend did. He ruffled his hair until it looked like its usual way, "now you look like yourself."

They were waiting for Kiran outside of the ruins she had turned into her home. Around the sounds of nature made it seem like a whole different world. He wondered if Kiran chose it because of this instead of the crowded and always busy city.

"But I don't want to look like myself," Bart said reaching for a comb he brought.

"You look like a complete dork," he said which stopped his friend in his track.

"Okay, got it," Bart said before taking a deep breath.

The sun was setting before Kiran showed up. She was anything but happy when she spotted them standing in front of the entrance to her hideout. She was as amazing as he had heard. Her skin was as dark as the night with lines of bright blue light breaking through it. Her eyes shone with pure energy as her long her floated around her like a crackling storm cloud. If Bart messed with this one, he was taking his chance.

"Before you start shooting at us," Bart said standing before her, "that's Red Robin, my friend and the guy that has been checking with you. We are here to talk and hope you will let us help you with your problem."

"Leave before I turn you to grilled Titans," she said flying above them as she charged her hands with energy.

"Oh, that name is really sticking," Bart said before Tim pushed him to the side. His friended had the tendency to speak too much when he got nervous.

"Kiran, we want to ask you to join the Titans," he said looking up at her. She was the personification of a solar eclipse.

She looked shocked for a moment before she frowned and flew down. Her power started to fade until a girl with long dark hair and deep-set eyes remained.

"No thanks," she said crossing her arms.

"Please, you could do a lot of good," Bart said and he wished his friend didn't look so love stricken. He was giving her the power in the matter.

"I am already doing a lot of good, remember?" she said turning away from them.

"I know, I know, but I mean… well, you could be a hero," Bart told her appearing in front of her. She looked away from Bart. Damn. She liked him too. But it also meant that she did want to help people.

"You could do more for those people if you went back to your family," he told her. He knew Kiran not only protected the people of the slums but also taught to as many children as she could in hopes they could get a better future. However, it was too much for one person to do. If she went back to her family, she could probably move things around, raise awareness and interest.

"I will deal with it myself," she said stubbornly, "this is not something you can fix by running or knocking someone out." She looked at both of them defiantly, "that's not how the real world works."

Ouch. He watched as Bart started to step back, not literally of course. His friend was ready to back down for the first time in who knew how long. Kiran apparently regretted the words from the way she kept trying to not look at Bart directly.

"You are right," he said hoping there was still a chance, "so we will do as you tell us, no questions asked."

"What?" Bart asked turning to look at him wide eyed.

"She is right, we don't know anything about her actual circumstances so the only way we can help is by doing what she asks us to," he explained to the other two shocked teens.

"Anything?" she asked before he nodded.

"Kiran?" Bart turned to look at her with pleading eyes "would you actually join us if we do that?"

"Maybe," she said with a small frown, "I think so."

"Then where do we start?" Bart asked more than ready.

Kiran spent the next hour explaining to them what had messed her life so much. Her mother, like her, had been a Meta with similar abilities. She could shoot what she could only describe as golden sun rays. Her family disowned her when they found out and she spent most of her teen years trying to survive on the rough streets and slums. She became one of the first heroes of India and went by Solstice; she took pride in carrying the same name. They met when Kiran Kaur saved Nilam Singh father from being mugged. He fell in love with her immediately and didn't stop searching for her until he met her again. Her mother fell in love with him too as she got to know him better. However, her father's family didn't approve of the relation. They already had a wife chosen for Kiran's father. The couple married in secret and not long after had Kiran.

"We lived okay for a quite a few years. Most of dad's family wouldn't even acknowledge us, but that was fine. We didn't like them much either," Kiran said as they walked through a small park.

"But then your mother passed away," he said as they stopped in front of a large building.

"She was murdered," Kiran said "and my father's family blames me for it. My father, of course, doesn't believe it, but he knows his family would do anything to remove me too."

"Reason why there is no official search for you."

"They threatened my father with exposing me as a freak if he tried to help me. He still does without their knowing. He sends me enough to survive so… but not long ago his family forced him to marry the woman he was engaged to."

"Avani Maharaj," he had guessed that she was somehow involved. It was big news in India that she and Nilam Singh were getting married as they both belonged to prominent families.

"When I came back to India, she had already moved into our home," Kiran said with a look of disgust. "My father is staying at a hotel, but he won't be allowed to once they get married. My mother was shot by an energy weapon. To anyone who doesn't know any better it looks like a wound my powers could make, what they didn't count on was a security camera set on the roof from where the shot was made from. If we could get it, that could be used as proof but the building will not release it to me and asking the police is useless. You don't know who are on the payroll list of the Maharaj's or my father's family."

"Then we are in the wrong place," he told Kiran as he looked at the tall building which was just at the right height to shoot from and reach Kiran's family apartment. He was working on his portable computer, "all security recordings of this building are stored in a cloud which is accessible to the authorities. But, there are missing records such as the one we are looking for."

"You mean it doesn't exist anymore?" she asked sitting on a bench nearby. All color drained from her face.

"He didn't say that," Bart said going to her at once, "right?"

"Right," he said, "nothing is ever completely gone digitally."

He sat next to them as he worked retrieving the footage.

"Bart, there might be a physical copy at this warehouse," he said showing Bart an address he found. "We might as well get a backup."

"Got it," and the next moment he was gone.

"I feel like such an idiot," Kiran said the moment Bart was gone, "of course you guys could deal with something like this."

He didn't say anything as he kept working on pulling the recording back. She was right. This was detective work, his specialty. It turned out the building from which Kiran Kaur was shot was owned by the Maharaj's and they didn't skimp on security. One firewall after another kept coming up.

"Do you think he is upset?" she asked pulling her feet up and rested her forehead on her knees.

"Who?" he asked as he worked.

"Bart," she said picking at him with a frown.

"No, he likes you too much," he said before she allowed her cascading hair to hide her face.

"He told you that?" she asked with a dry mouth. Yeah, he might as well don't even try.

"Anyone can see that," he paused for a moment and looked away from his computer to her, "you are the first person he has ever shown interest on."

"Oh," she said still hiding but he could hear a smile in her voice.

"If you do decide to join us, I will ask you not to play with him," he said before she snapped her blushing head up and glared at him.

"I am not that type of girl," Kiran said as her blush became more noticeable.

"I hope so," he told her as he returned to his work.

"Bart said you were their leader, I guess I can see why they choose you," she said with a short laugh.

Really? He didn't see it. He worked until he was able to retrieve the footage and then forwarded the image to every single broadcasting company in India. While on his search he had also found who had made the deal to assassinate Kiran Kaur and sent the information to every news station in India, plus a few international ones.

"Your father's family wasn't involved but for the expectation of your uncle. It seems he borrowed too much from the Maharajs. He decided to repay them by providing the location of you and your mother at a sensible time," he said showing her an email he was able to find.

"They will never be jailed, you know?" she said with a saddened smile, "but at least everyone will know who the real monsters are."

"Yes and no," Bart said as he returned with a smile and swinging a flash drive from his finger, "I found more than just the recording we needed. What is it with bad guys and saving the evidence against themselves?"

Tim asked that same question many times and was yet to be answered. He took the flash drive from Bart and checked the contents. It held recordings of conversations, emails, and all the evidence that could prove the Maharajs was laundering money. Which, was the beginning of something bigger. They were part of shady lines of business such as illegal drug distributions, slavery trading, and illegal weapon distribution to gangs. From that point, they went to meet Kiran's father who at once called the engagement off before calling to his family and showing them that they had almost affiliated to criminals. They listened to their discussion from another room as they still didn't trust Nilam Singh's family not to out Kiran to the world. At the end, they agreed to drop the matter of the marriage but were still unsure what to do with the information.

They heard Nilam Singh shout at them and remind them his wife was killed and they blamed his only child for it; his equal and another half by the doctrine of Sikhism. Still, they argued as the news of the marriage had been widely spread it would affect them negatively.

"Can you make that information viral?" Kiran asked him as she tried not to burst into the room and ask them what was wrong with them. In the real world, he wanted to remind her, that wouldn't help. Instead, he started sending all the information they had found the media and authorities.

"It's all done," he said closing his portable computer.

"Really?" she asked taken back for it had only been a minute ago that she asked him.

"I was already working on it when you asked," he told her.

"So what now?" she said walking up to the window of the room and looking at the now starry sky.

"Now we stop them from fleeing," Bart said as he placed his backpack on the bed and pulled his suit out.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, as soon as they become aware of what is going on they are going to try to find a way to hide," he told her.

"What are we waiting for?" Kid said already dressed, "this is the part where running fast and knocking people out actually helps."

"Before that, I need to have a talk with Kiran, alone," he told Bart.

"What? Why?" Bart asked looking at him worried.

"If she is joining, she must know some of the rules," he said as he pulled his own suit out of his backpack.

"I have already done this before," she said trying to act obstinate, but of course he wouldn't budge.

"It's not the same when facing people who have hurt you," he said knowing he couldn't take the risk of letting this go unsaid.

"Oh," Bart understood. They all had received this type of talk at one point or another.

"Oh, what?" Kiran asked turning to Bart.

"I will wait for you guys on the roof," Bart said opening the window.

"Bart?" Kiran asked him.

"It will be fine," Bart told her trying a confident smile, but it came out all wrong. A moment later he was gone.

"It won't take long," he told her. "It's simple as this; we belong to a community with rules, those who don't follow those rules become outsiders, outlaws and people we try to keep from hurting others. One of the most important rules is that of not killing. No matter how much you think, they might deserve it. It doesn't matter how much they have hurt you, you will not kill them, you will not let them get killed, and you will not let them kill themselves if you can help it. Don't think your circumstances are unique. For the most part, every member of our community has lost someone; sometimes before or after we start wearing the uniforms. There is no excuse or reason in the world that makes it okay for us to kill. The authorities are the ones that decide the punishments, the ones that follow the rules which were agreed upon by the people. Do I make myself clear?"

She had looked at him wide-eyed for a good minute before she nodded her head "it never crossed my mind."

"I couldn't take the risk of guessing what you were thinking," he told her, "now go; some of us can't morph our skins or change at super-speed."

She changed, a little awkwardly and because of that he didn't think she was as beautiful as he had first thought. She flew out the window and just in time because a moment later he heard the cell phones of the Singhs start ringing. He finished getting changed before jumping out the window and going to join Kid Flash and Solstice on the roof.

He handed both of them communicators. Kid Flash threw him a dirty look. He guessed he didn't like him insinuating that Solstice could do something so cruel. He, of course, stood his ground; lives were on the line. He told them of the seven people who they were to bring to the authorities and they had to do it fast.

He followed the news feeds as well as he could as he approached his target. Kid had already brought the first one in and that had brought a mob of reporters from national and international origin to the precinct. He brought in the next one and he started to worry when Kid brought the third person and there was yet no sign of Kiran.

"She is not like that," Kid Flash told him after he brought in the fourth guy and went looking for her.

"You have only known her for a few weeks," he reminded his friend.

"But I know she is not like that," Kid Flash insisted.

"Guys! Some help!" then they heard her shout and they looked up to see Kiran, not carrying one but the remaining two Maharajs and her uncle.

"Told you," Kid Flash rushing to the top of a building where he took one of the guys from her. He had joined them a moment later before they went on their way to turning them in. By the time they returned the news crews were already waiting for them. They asked questions in every language but none of them answered. The Maharajs meanwhile denied every single accusation.

"_These freak have no right to come into our country and treat us like this!" _one of the shouted pointing at them.

"_Better a freak than a death trader,"_ Solstice said, _"besides, I am from this land as much as you."_

He didn't know if he would have been able to stop her had he known she would do this. She powered down in front of the news crews from all over the world.

"My name is Kiran Singh, and I have nothing to hide. To anyone who tries to hurt me, know that I will not make it easy. I will protect my home of the injustice, violence and discriminations. I am Solstice and I am a Titan."

8888

When they made it back to the hotel room of Nilam Singh, he was very silent as the rest of his family discussed among them. The moment they saw Kiran come in, all that anger was directed at her. Kiran took it unflinchingly as if she had heard it all before. She powered down and went to her father who was sitting on a couch. She kneeled before him and laid her head on his lap. The room went quiet as Nilam stroke her cheek, but a smile drew on his face.

"_Your mother would have been very proud, just as I am,"_ he told her as she closed her eyes as if she could fall asleep right there and then.

Someone, he imagined Kiran's aunt opened her mouth to say something before Kid Flash shushed her. Still, the spell was broken and both Kiran and Nilam stood up. Nilam dismissed the rest of their family. None of them complained, but they didn't hide their anger either. As long as Nilam was the head of the family they couldn't go against him. From that point, it was a no-brainer. He knew that was a whole new can of worms that they would have to look forwards to though by the look of Mr. Singh's face he was already aware of that.

"I expect to hear from you directly and not that interview what my daughter is getting involved to. I know I won't be able to stop her from doing the same her mother did and that I appreciate, but at least I can place a few conditions. She is not going to be in the company of boys alone. I understand the two of you are considered to be responsible young men, otherwise the League wouldn't let you running around," he said pausing to look at each one of them. "However, we are talking about my only daughter. Needless to say, powers or not, if you let anything happen to my daughter I will find you and do something unspeakable to you." Behind him, Kiran was trying to not laugh at them, but mostly at Bart, who had turned a few shades paler.

After a long talk with Nilam and Kiran about what the Titans were about, they were _allowed_ to leave. He had known at one point they would talk to some parents, but he didn't think he would meet someone so readily to listen as Nilam. He had expected the complete opposite reaction from Nilam Singh, but then again not everyone was like his father had been.

"Earth to Red," Kid Flash said before he realized they were back in San Francisco. As his friend let go of him on the roof of his apartment building he saw the sun was starting to rise. It was Saturday morning and he had yet to sleep a single hour. There was still a lot that needed to be done, and it felt like there weren't enough hours in the day to do them. He couldn't go to sleep because he had to meet with the rest of their team and update them about their new members and what they were to keep doing and do next. He had a meeting with the governor; try to convince him to let them base in their city. Then, there was the movie he promised to take Damian to, he wondered if he could convince some of his friends to go with them. He had to work on some cases after that, then patrol, then reach other possible new members. Then, the next day they were to all me-

"You know, you don't have to do everything on your own," Kid Flash said before he turned to look at him. "Your face was getting like this," Bart said scowling, "just tell us where you want us to help you and we will. We are a team, remember?"

Right, he thought as a laugh started to force itself out of him in sharp burst. They were a team, he could ask the rest to help with other things.

"Alright, you are going to bed," Bart said pushing him towards the roof door.

"But-"

"Can wait, I will call the rest and tell them to wait for a few hours," and he practically pushed him into his room and closed the door behind him. He only had the chance to take his gear off before he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

When he woke up after a dreamless rest and saw the time on his alarm clock, he cursed under his breath. Their meeting and the chance to speak with the governor were gone. He pushed his feet into the bathroom and took a hot shower. The shower did more for him than the few hours of sleep that he got. He leaned his forehead against the cold tile as gasped as his mind woke up again. They were doing something good, his father would have eventually understood this, and maybe he did towards the end. After drying and getting dressed he checked the surveillance recordings from when he was gone. Nothing was out of the ordinary until a few hours ago. He fast forwarded the recordings until reaching the current events going on outside of his bedroom.

After a quick assessment of the situation, he took the pair of sunglasses Dick had given him on his last visit to the mansion. When he stepped outside he was welcomed not just by his friends but also by the beginning of a new part of his life.


	10. Two Truths One Lie

A Robin, Red Robin 10

There were many times while in middle and high school that he was invited to parties. At that time, he was the smartest and most athletic guy you could know. It didn't hurt that he also had good looks. Not even the biggest of bullies could find a reason to dislike him. Somehow, they missed his faults. They didn't see how he obsessed over everything her set his eyes upon until he perfected them. They never saw that he never went to even one of those parties. They never saw that he wasn't actually laughing at their jokes, but at them.

It wasn't really that he was deceiving them; they just choose not to see it. It made him proud to know his parents did see it. They pushed him to go to the parties, to bring friends over, to tell them if he liked a girl, or why not a boy. Maybe he kept them guessing too much. They knew he wasn't normal, always had. He was too perfect in the eyes of the world; too independent, and too lonely in front of their eyes. He wondered if his parents saw what Batman had seen. He was a threat. Someone that was too smart and stubborn to be left unsupervised. If left alone he could have chosen to become a criminal, he would become not one but the best of them. There was a whole file about it at the Batcave.

It didn't bother him. Dick and Jason were taken in for similar reasons.

Dick had too much skill as an athlete and not enough guidance. In a few years, he could have gone after his parents' killers and killed them. It wouldn't stop there for even then he would have not found peace or purpose. He was destined to become a vigilante, but at least he could become one that was on the side of the law. Jason, after all that he went through, was too angry and with his incredible drive for survival would have become a high profile criminal. Someone that could get anything he wanted in the underbelly of society and why not, even manipulate it. As the Red Hood, he had become violent, a killer even though he claimed in was in the name of good. He was getting better, but it wasn't possible to tell if it would last.

It was hard to guess what would have actually become of him had he not started searching for the true identity of Batman and the once sidekick Nightwing. As he met his guests' eyes with his concealed ones, he knew this wasn't one of those possibilities. Superboy; the half clone of Superman, Kid Flash; the grandson of the Flash from a dystopian future, and Blue Beetle; a young man with an armor from an ancient conquering alien race were his closest friends at that time. With them, the new members of their team sat around his living room; Bunker, Skitter, Solstice, Red Star, and Thorax. Plus a few others he had not been expecting so soon or at all like Supergirl, Tempest, and the latest Green Lantern; Kyle Rayner.

"Look what the Bat dragged in!" Kid Flash said patting a place next to him at the sofa "c'mon, the movie is about to start."

"Red," Conner was fast to lead him to the kitchen where countless containers of takeout were stacked on top of each other.

"What exactly happened while I was asleep?" he asked seeing many of them were already talking like old friends.

"We took care of some things," Superboy started looking at their team which had more than doubled since he had gone to sleep. "The questions for the interview are taken care of. I will get you a copy, but they are only base questions. The real ones will be created from them. Kara told me today she wanted to join. She is looking to fit somewhere since it seems the Team would prefer for things to cool down before considering her. I took her and Kyle with me to convince the governor about letting us build our base near the city. She wants you to get in contact with her tonight to know the outcome. Kid gathered the new guys today instead of tomorrow and also went to talk to, Tigress, Nightwing, and Miss Martian, but didn't work. Tempest actually came to us. He met with Blue and me in the underwater caves and said he wanted to join."

He wasn't sure if to be thankful or go and choke Kid Flash. He had planned to stop with the recruitment until the interview was done with.

"Why now?" he had met Tempest and knew him to be of a calm demeanor, but at that time he looked like he was trying too hard to fit in.

"It seems Aquaman sent him to join the Team, but he asked instead to join us," Superboy also said looking at the dark haired Atlantean. He was always of help when they met, but there was always friction between him and Kaldur though they had once been close friends.

"So he and Kaldur are still not talking to each other," he said wondering if Tempest's arrival would only be temporary.

"We can't turn him down. He has if not equal, greater abilities than Kaldur," Superboy said as he used his powers to pull out a trash bag from under the sink.

"But none of the experience; he was with the Team a very short time," and at that time he had been very close to Kaldur. There was the chance that might have ruined team work for him.

"Most of them don't have any experience," Superboy pointed out as the trash flew into the bag.

"And the Green Lantern?" he asked as Kyle started showing some of his constructs. No one was really looking at the movie. They all seemed excited about being there. Skitter, who was only in for the training appeared to be having fun.

"He has been around the city since he and Blue are preparing for their trip in the summer. Kara and I met him on our way here and invited him to listen in. It's not for sure he would join us, but I think is possible since the League and the Team haven't asked him to join." It was like someone dropping a bag full of cash on their lap and asking nothing in return. They just couldn't say no.

"Have you talked to them?" he asked.

"Not really, we convinced them to sit in for a movie until you showed up," Superboy said, "Things are starting to get out of control. The least I could try was to make sure they understood you are the leader of the Titans."

"Tell the rest there will be no more recruiting until we finish our base of operations," he had to find a balance with their now twelve member group.

"But, we will discuss possible members, correct?" Superboy asked him.

"Beast Boy?" he asked his friend who gave a nod, "we will talk about it."

"You aren't mad, are you?" Kid Flash appeared between them.

"Not really," he said scratching the back of his head, "thanks for the help."

"No, problem!" Kid Flash said with a smile, "so, what now?"

"Introductions," he said pulling from one of the cabinets a large bowl before pulling from another a large bag of skittles.

"How come I didn't find that?" Kid Flash asked trying to take one before Tim pulled it out of his reach.

"Ever played two truths one lie?" he asked Conner as he carried the large bowl towards the living room.

"Yeah," his friend said with a smile, "hopefully they haven't told much to each other."

He placed the bowl on the small table in the living room before turning off the TV. No one complained as they had been more interested in meeting the rest.

"Since someone decided to pull our weekly meeting and introductions on the same day," he said giving a meaningful look at Kid Flash, "let's start with introductions. All of you have already met me but for many of you this is the first time meeting the rest. We are going to be training and spending plenty of time together, so we are going to start with a small game to get to know each other," he announced soon getting all of their attention.

"Please don't tell me is truth or dare," Celine/Skitter said with a short laugh which was shared by others.

"Close," he said with a smirk.

"You are not serious, right?" Kyle asked; the Green Lantern looked nervous.

"This game is called Two Truths and One Lie," he announced and by the expression of a few they had already played the game.

"Oh, I have played this before," Kiran/Solstice said.

"We are all going to take turns to tell two truths and one lie about ourselves and the rest has to guess which one is the lie. You guys have two minutes to think about it," he said and he could see some of them were already thinking about theirs without the need to be told.

"Are we also joining?" Kid Flash asked him.

"We are going first," he announced.

"Hm…" Kid Flash gave a mischievous smile.

After the two minutes were over, he announced, "I will go first. I like watching 80's horror movies. I dated Wonder Girl. I am the one who snuck out the picture of Wonder Woman and Superman kissing during a Christmas party while under the mistletoe."

"Are you sure he is one of the good guys?" Miguel/Bunker asked tapping his chin.

"I have met Wonder Girl, there is no way you have dated her," Garth/Tempest said crossing his arms over his chest with a confident smile.

"Actually, that is true," he revealed before Garth stared at him in shock. He knew Wonder Girl had turned him down about a year ago while they worked together on a small mission.

"Then yuu snuck the picture," Leonid/Red Star said.

"That's the lie," he revealed with a bow, "Wonder Woman is not someone you mess with."

"Why 80's horror movies?" Kara/Solstice asked.

"Two words; Evil Dead," Blue Beetle said with a shudder.

"If you haven't seen it, we will watch it later," he announced before some of his friends took a pale look. "Your turn Blue."

"Alright…" he said looking at Leonid/Red Star and Celine/Skitter. He guessed they already knew a few things about him since he took them out the previous night, "I have another voice inside my head that talks to me. I was the one who took the picture of Superman and Wonder Woman. I am the third person to carry the name Blue Beetle."

"I really hope this isn't true, but I don't think you have another voice inside your head," Kara said while keeping an eye on Paco/Thorax who was trying to hold his laughter.

"Actually…" Blue gave a crooked smile.

"Are you schizophrenic?" Kyle/Green Lantern had asked before Paco/Thorax started laughing.

"No," Blue laughed, "my armor actually has an A.I., which communicated with me through thought. It took me a while to get used to it."

"For a while we thought he was just odd," Superboy said.

"Whenever you see him do this," Kid Flash said tilting his head, "that means he is listening to his little Jiminy Cricket."

"Alright, then you are not the third person to carry the name Blue Beetle," Garth/Tempest said.

"Actually I am. The first and second Blue Beetle used to operate more in the shadows. They also didn't have the same access I do to the armor, so they relied more on their own tools," Blue said before creating a holographic image of the previous two Blue Beetles.

"So, you aren't also the one to take the picture of Superman and Wonder Woman," Celine/Skitter said with a disappointed sigh.

"I might have another voice inside my head, but I am not that crazy," Blue laughed.

"Oh, my turn, my turn!" Kid Flash said, "So, I am actually from an alternative future where the Reach did conquer Earth and was raised by the last of the human opposition. I took the picture of Wonder Woman and Superman, also was the one to deliver it to the news for the right price. I am currently working on a Teletransportation system that will get us just about anywhere in the world when completed. Soon, we will be like beam me up Scotty all over the place."

"Okay, you said one lie," Celine/Skitter said looking at Kid Flash with a confused look.

"I did tell one lie," Kid Flash said with a smirk.

"This is crazy. No one is taking the heat for the picture," Kara/Supergirl said trying to find the answer through logic. However, the other options were just too crazy.

"I am going for the craziest. You are not from an alternative future." Kiran/Solstice said.

"Bzzz, sorry, try again," Kid Flash said with a smile.

"What? You can't be serious!" Celine/Solstice and others said in unison.

"He is. Kid Flash came to our time to warn us about the Reach invasion. It was a one-way trip," Superboy intervened when they started raising their voices too much.

"I am actually the Flash's grandson," Kid Flash announced, "the previous Kid Flash was my cousin once removed."

"So, time travel is possible," Garth/Tempest said with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"It's dangerous, but yes, it can be done. However, every time it is done the fabric of time and space weakens which could also end up destroying not just the world, but reality as well. Once I found this I swore not to share the secret of time travel with anyone. Now let's move on," Kid Flash said throwing his arms in the air.

"I think you actually are working on a Teletransportation system. Red Robin told me he would get a way to return me home every time," Miguel/Bunker said smiling at him and Bart.

"Ding ding ding, correct!" Kid Flash said before placing the bowl of skittles on his lap.

"So who took the picture?" Kyle/Green Lantern asked.

"My turn," Superboy said with a smirk, "I took the picture of Superman and Wonder Woman."

"Not that again!" Garth/ Tempest said raising his arms in surrender.

"Though I am physically sixteen, I have only lived for two years. My Kryptonian name is Kon El, which actually means 'abomination'," Conner said as he leaned against a wall.

"Well, I am skipping the picture for now, so I think your name isn't abomination," Kiran/Solstice said fidgeting on her seat.

"It is," Kara said immediately, "and he chose it."

"Really?" Leonid/Red Star and the rest looked uncomfortable.

"It has to do with an important part of Kryptonian history," Superboy clarified.

"Alright, then you are not the one who took the picture," Paco/Thorax said.

"Actually…" Superboy said.

"I thought you were kidding, it was you!" Blue Beetle said with wide eyes.

"How could you!" Kara/Supergirl had said before she threw a cushion at Superboy with so much force that it burst into a storm of feathers, which he started to untangle from his hair.

"I took it to tease Kal El but sent it by accident to one of my professors. I was able to get Nightwing to erase the trace of the source, but it was too late to stop the picture from reaching the news," Superboy explained. This was something he already knew, but neither Blue nor Kid Flash had known until then.

"I am telling Kal El," Kara said puffing her cheeks before Superboy threw her another cushion and then laughed.

"So, how old are yoo?" Leonid/ Red Star asked trying to decipher it by just looking at his friend.

"I am almost eight," Superboy said running a hand through his hair. He was the youngest among all of them.

"Then how come we hadn't heard of you before?" Kiran/Solstice asked.

He cleared his throat and then explained. "The League has an undercover team, which they just call the Team. It is mostly people around our age. The Team receives covert missions the League can't do such as reckon missions, or taking minor criminals. The four of us were part of it. Superboy was at the beginning of it almost eight years ago with Aqualad, the first Kid Flash, the first Robin, Miss Martian who is the niece of Martian Man Hunter, Artemis now known as Tigress, and Zatanna."

"So, you have been doing this longer than us," Miguel/Bunker said in awe.

"Actually, Superboy was already asked by the League to join them over two years ago. He declined the offer," Kid Flash said.

"What? Why?" they asked.

His friend shrugged, "personal reasons. Besides, I enjoyed working with the Team, but a while ago we found we wanted to do more than just run the covert missions. The Team works side by side with the League, but the League makes the rules. There was a situation which the League didn't approve of our involvement. We still got involved."

"So, you got kicked out," Garth/Tempest said with a frown.

"Not really, we quit. We operate separately from the League. They have a way of doing things, and we have our own way. You could call it a more of a direct approach," Kid Flash said with a confident smirk.

"Ai like that," Leonid/ Red Star.

"The League didn't approve of Jaime's involvement against _La Dama. _I think only a handful did," Paco/Thorax said looking questioningly at Blue.

"Mainly Batman," Blue Beetle said.

"So, you are making your own rules," Celine/Skitter said as the wheels in her mind turned. He knew she was only there for the training, but he hoped she could see the appeal of their idea.

"_We_ are, all of us," he clarified, "we are also seeking to help other Metas, especially with what has been going on right now."

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E," Celine/Skitter had said with worried eyes before she noticed the questioning looks from the rest, "they tried to capture me and Leonid."

"I have looked into the League's base of information, and there is no trace of them. They are a phantom operation but clearly targeting young Metas, as for what purpose, we don't know," he told, "but we will talk about that later. Let's move on with… Bunker"

"Miguel is fine," the young man said, "so I am married to the love of my life," at that Solstice covered her mouth, "I run a flower shop in Mexico City. I have no idea where my powers came from."

"You and Gabe got married?!" Kiran couldn't hold it anymore and said in an outburst. He knew she and Miguel had stayed in some contact after the fight with _La Dama._

"A few months ago on Gabe's birthday," Miguel said embarrassed before showing them his wedding band.

"Yuu run a flower shop," Leonid said crossing his arms with a confident smile.

"That's the lie," Miguel said with a laugh, "we run a small café which all of you are welcome to visit."

"Then you don't know where your powers come from?" Garth asked curiously.

"Not at all, at first I thought they were magic, but after talking to other Metas, I realized they were not" Miguel said before he created a violet psionic brick in the air and then another, and another until there was a small wall floating in the air.

"That's similar to…" Kyle looked at the structure before replicating it.

"I can't fly through space," Miguel laughed knowing where he was going.

"But there is the chance you can," Superboy said as he closed his eyes probably getting a sense of his abilities, "you build them with your mind, which requires concentration. Close to how Lanterns control theirs, right?"

"Correct," Kyle said, "I can teach you some things I learned with the Lanterns…" Kyle then laughed realizing something, "you are lucky you don't have to recharge."

If Miguel and Kyle had not been entirely interested before it was now different. He told Miguel he could learn to be a better hero, and who better to help him with his specific powers than a Lantern. Kyle also seemed happy to not be treated as just another Lantern but have a stronger purpose. He knew that if he chose to join them he would be off the planet sometimes, but only to gain more experience. He couldn't be disappointed at that.

"Your turn Kyle," he told the Lantern.

Kyle thought for a moment and then said not meeting anyone's eyes, "I am a freelance graphic designer and almost broke. I am the fourth Lantern of Earth and the youngest. At first, when I was told I would become a Green Lantern I said no thanks to the Guardians of the Universe."

"You look like you enjoy being a Lantern, so I say you jumped at the opportunity when it came," Garth said.

Kyle laughed, "Yeah, I practically snatched the ring from the Guardians when they told me." He created a construct of the other three Green Lanterns of Earth in the order they had been assigned. "Actually, Earth is the only known world to have so many lanterns. Two Lanterns get chosen per each of the three thousand six hundred sectors of the Universe. Earth and sector 2814 has us four. The Guardians speculate that humans have a significant source of will, which is the main reason we get chosen though I think I was selected for another reason." He then modified the construct of the Lanterns to show how he saw each one of them. Hall Jordan was now wearing a heavy mechanical battle suit covered in machine guns in every direction and wings not too different from fighting jet. John Stewart was given a black op's uniform including a hard helmet and a scarf to cover the lower half of his face and a sniper rifle like he had never seen before. The once marine looked controlled and alert for anything that might come his way. Guy Gartner was given a futuristic motorcycle and a metal pipe which he threw into the air and caught again with a smug smile.

Each one of the construct seemed to have a life of their own as they prepared for the fight. He had seen Lantern constructs before, but nothing with so much detail. Kyle allowed them to fade away before smiling sheepishly. It was easy for them to see his creativity was what set him apart from the other Lanterns.

"I will go next, better get this out of the way," Celine said with a nervous smile, "So, I am or was a model for a fashion magazine back in New York. I have a total of six arms when I use my powers. I have a twin sister who has no powers."

"You don't have a twin sister," Miguel said.

"I do," Celine said.

"You aren't a model," Kiran said, "you could be, but you don't look like an attention seeker."

"Yeah," Celine said with a short laugh, "my twin sister is the model. Before my powers, I used to work for Dayton Labs as an energy engineer."

"Wait, how old are you?" Blue asked. He knew his field of study was also towards engineering.

"Eighteen," she said with an embarrassed smile.

"She built prototype to harness my power," Leonid said before showing them a small flame in his hand.

"You said you didn't know if it could run out at all," Celine said blushing.

"Ai go next," Leonid said, "Ai am from Rossiya," a few laughed, "Ai like pancakes," more laughs, "and Ai never gone skinny dipping."

"Well, who doesn't love pancakes?" Kyle said.

"This is a hard one," Paco said rubbing his temples.

"What's skinny dipping?" Garth had asked before Kid Flash whispered to him, "Oh! You surface people are odd."

That earned more laughs from the group.

"Ai win, no?" Leonid had said before they laughed even more.

"It's your turn Kara," Superboy said taking the Kryptonian by surprise.

"I am Superman's cousin; Kara Zor-El," she started to buy some time, "I… when I firth got to Earth, I almost did not ate a napkin. I once took my father's hover-car for a joy ride with a friend."

"There is no way you took Zor-El's vehicle," Superboy said with a frown.

"Actually I did, oh Rao, I have never told that to anyone," she said covering her mouth before laughing, "we almost crashed it!"

"Don't ever think about touching my motorcycle," Superboy said with a strained smile.

"So, that means you almost ate a napkin," Miguel said with a meek smile.

"It sort of looked like a Kryptonian dish, it was our equivalent to bread," Kara said with a blush.

"My turn," Paco said, "okay, so I faked my death once. I have known Blue since he used to eat dirt."

"This is about you, not me," Blue said running a hand down his face.

"And my heart **didn't** get blown up to bits and got replaced by an alien machine," Paco completed laughing at his friend's frustrated face.

"Some of us were there, remember?" Miguel had said before Kiran and Leonid nodded their heads in agreement.

"Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself" he really hoped Paco could keep up with that attitude, "anyways, Blue here saved my life using the life support of his armor, gave me a new heart, and about a week ago it also started working as an armor."

"So you guys know each other since little?" Celine asked.

"We didn't see each other for about five years because he did fake his death," Blue said throwing Paco a dirty look.

"Could you believe this guy punched me when he saw I was alive?" Paco said pointing at his friend.

"You are lucky it was just a punch," Blue said curtly.

"Say that again Super Geek," Paco shook his fist at his old friend.

"I think we better move on," Superboy said.

"Why? It is about to get good," Kid Flash said holding on to the bowl of skittles.

"Kiran, if you please," he asked the young woman. He was surprised she had agreed to come in after only a few hours of having dealt with the killers of her mother. She looked a little tired, but happy to be there. He could bet a good part of the reason why was the smiling Kid Flash.

"I don't really think there is much I can say that everyone doesn't already know," she said with a smile. "I was raised in India by my father and my mother who was a vigilante. When I was little, I used my powers to get rid of anything I didn't want to eat until my parents noticed the scorch marks. I have a pet owl named Torie."

"Give us a hint," Celine said leaning forwards.

"Sorry, can't do," Kiran said.

"I don't think you have a pet owl," Kara said.

"Actually, I do," she said poking through her phone before showing them the picture of a brown big eyed owl. "My powers didn't appear until I was thirteen, so I had no way of using them when I was little."

"Your mom was a vigilante?" Kyle asked.

"She also went by the name Solstice, that's how she first met my dad. Even if he wanted to, he really can't ask me not to do this because he thought what my mother did was good," she said with a strained smile. He wondered if something had happened after he and Bart left.

"Your turn Garth," he asked the Atlantean.

"So, I am from Atlantis and went to school with Kaldur'ahm; you know him as Aqualad." Garth started with a thoughtful look. "As an Atlantean, my diet consists mainly of kelp and I never eat fish. For a short time, I was part of the Team Red Robin mentioned before."

"I think you weren't in the Team," Kiran said.

"I was, but like I said it was for a very short time," he said trying to hide some of his sadness. Though years had passed, the death of Tula still hurt him.

"He still helped us whenever possible," Blue said.

"Yoo eat fish, right?" Leonid asked.

"Yes," Garth said with a laugh, "King Arthur told us people on the surface for some reason think we don't eat fish. It is not strange for us just as it is for you to eat other land creatures."

"That makes sense," Celine said.

"Can I go next?" they all jumped and turned around to find Dick and Damian standing behind them wearing shades not much different than his.

"Nightwing?" he asked hoping this wasn't what he thought it was.

"Hey, came to drop the kid and before you start telling me it was until tomorrow hear me out. He stole the Batmobile, knocked Penny-One out, and has attempted at least a dozen times to take down Batman on his own, including when he sleeps," Dick said. "You know how he gets when he doesn't get enough sleep."

"Then why not take him with you to Blüdhaven?" he told Dick, "as you can see, we are busy."

"I sort of promised to help Batgirl with something," Dick said scratching the back of his head. He remembered Barbara had told them about a new procedure she was going to try.

"You don't pull any punches," he said with a sigh, "picking him up tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning," Dick said raising his hand.

"He is manipulating you, can't you see?" Damian said taking off the shades, "I can't stand these things."

"Don't look at him in the eyes or he will eat your soul!" Bart said trying to cover Damian's eyes.

"Enough Allen!" Damian said punching the speedster in the gut.

"I could leave him in the middle of a faraway island," Bart gasped.

"Thanks but no thanks," he said to his friend.

"Guys, this is Robin," Dick said trying to maintain his smile, but even he had trouble with Damian's disregarding some of their most ground rules.

"I am not just any Robin, I am Batman's-" Damian started to say before Dick gave him a push.

"Oh, would you look at the time. He is all yours, which means if he does something stupid like revealing his civilian identity and compromising Batman's it's all on you," Dick said starting for the door, all the while Damian glared at him.

"Is he joining us?" Leonid asked.

"Thankfully, no," Bart said keeping his distance from the kid.

"You wish you had someone with my expertise," Damian said crossing his arms.

"Batman and Nightwing asks us to keep an eye on him when they are working on something, and can't bring the kid along because he has this tendency to not listen and get into trouble," Conner said.

"I know where he keeps the Kryptonite," Damian said with a malefic grin.

"Not that it will do you any good when I lock you in a pantry," Conner said.

"Now," he said loudly, but not shouting, "we are taking a break to eat. Afterwards, we are going to be talking about some of the things we are going to be doing and answering any questions you might have."

He was quick to call Bart, Jaime, and Conner to the kitchen, all the while keeping an eye on Damian.

"Not it," Bart said at once before he got a few questioning looks, "you were going to assign someone to take care of him, weren't you?" his friend hit it right on the nail.

"You heard what he said about the Kryptonite," Conner said, "Besides, I need to keep an eye on Kara."

"Dude, no. Why did you accept to look after him anyways?" Jaime said cringing when Paco got knocked on his back by the ten-year-old. Thankfully, Pacp only laughed which seemed to irritate Damian even further.

"We are getting additional funding from Batman," he told them.

"I feel so cheap," Bart said rubbing his arm.

"I will look after him," he tried not to sound resigned, "but we are doing a training exercise later. I need you to keep an eye on the rest."

"No prob, rob, now what about the food?" Bart asked.

"I believe you are the expert, just not too much junk food," he said handing him a card.

"Is there any other kind of food?" Bart said before disappearing.

"How much you want to be he will bring a king size bag of Chicken Weezies?" Jaime said with a smile.

The rest went back to the living room where most were mingling. Without needing to, they were showing to each other their powers and abilities. A few were trying to get close to Damian who had taken over a whole couch, but he kept glaring at them. Eventually, they gave up and talked to each other instead. After the food was brought and everyone was eating and still talking, he noticed Damian had yet to move from where he sat. It looked oddly familiar.

"Here," he handed the youngster a domino mask he kept around, "you need to keep your identity concealed."

"What is the point?" Damian said putting it on.

"The point is that some of us want to have a somewhat normal life every now and then. If they make the connection between you to Batman, then that means Nightwing and I also get screwed," since legally Bruce was their guardian (or at least his since Dick was no longer underage).

"Whatever," Damian knew he had a point, but was simply too proud to admit it.

"We are doing a training exercise afterward. Would you like to ditch the movie and join us instead?" he had the feeling this kid wouldn't do so well in a movie theater.

"Gladly," though he was now wearing the mask, he could tell he had just rolled his eyes at him.

"Damian, you know you aren't always going to be a kid. Why don't you try to enjoy it while it lasts?" he said sitting next to him. Not too close. He knew the kid was probably not used to people being close to him unless they were out to hurt him.

"What are you talking about?" Damian asked him authentically confused.

"Just trust me on this one, and don't make the same mistake I did," he said looking ahead to the rest of the Titans. He realized then that he had been a fool for a very long time. He had pushed others away for so long that he had not realized what he had been missing until then. He stood up suddenly and then said to the kid "it would make your father happy." It was too late for his parents, but not for Bruce to see his kid be an actual child.


	11. First Training

A Robin, Red Robin 11

He listened and wrote the suggestion on the white board Kid Flash had brought. Where he got them? He didn't care. It worked for them.

"But how young?" Celine asked. She knew the importance of learning how to control her powers but when should it start?

"Some of the youngest here are fifteen, that sounds like a decent age to me," Kyle said, he was among the older ones in the room.

"Nightwing was twelve when he joined Batman," Conner said.

"And I am ten," Damian said from his place on the couch, but now sandwiched between Leonid and Paco.

"But you are not a Titan," Paco said before getting a punch in the gut.

"We could check how mature they are and if their parents are okay with it," Kiran said.

"Those are two big ifs, but it sounds good when dealing with kids," he admitted though he was a child to the eyes of most of the world.

"Should we also put a limit on how old they can be, to join?" Bart asked.

"I don't see a reason why, anyone disagree?" he asked and no one did.

"What about leaving the Titans?" Miguel asked as he was more interested in sticking close to his home.

"Once a Titan, always a Titan," Conner said.

"Let's make that a rule. If any of us ever goes solo, we can still count on the others," Jaime said.

"I like the sound of that," he said before writing it in big letter.

There were disagreements too.

"No, you will destroy the reef if you do that," Garth said standing up.

"Well, we need a way to escape if things get ugly," Paco said standing too and facing him.

"Why not use the transportation thing Kid Flash is working on," Miguel said who clearly looked uncomfortable as he was between them.

"It will require a lot of energy if that is shut off…" Bart started to say, now seeing an issue he hadn't counted on before.

"We need to think of an auxiliary power source and we don't have to destroy the reef to create an emergency escape. I spotted a cliff a few miles away," he said. They could make an opening on the face of the cliff and disguise it.

"But building a tunnel like that will take too long, and what if it floods?" Leonid asked.

"We will build it under the crust in a way that it doesn't," and he knew he could rely on Leonid to help with it. The young man had been an aspiring architect before he was pulled into the world of capes.

"Fine, but-" still, someone wouldn't let it go so quickly.

When the meeting had started, he had almost no idea what they would be doing. They kept saying they wanted to be different than the League, be more direct. All BS. It was just an idea, but it wasn't solid until they started to add more to it. They wanted an accepting place, a safe place; one where they could meet others like them. Be a community without fear of being judged by the hand life handed them. It turned from a team of young heroes to something else. He was thankful to them for giving them a direction. Maybe one day he would tell them… maybe.

"Who votes for T shaped tower!" Bart shouted suddenly.

"Again with that?" Conner said as Bart drew a cartoonish t shaped tower in a corner of the whiteboard.

"Why the heck not?" Jaime said glad his friend hadn't forgotten his idea.

"It would be like putting a target on ourselves," Conner said crossing his arms.

"Like any old tower wouldn't do the same, might as well make it stand out," Paco said backing up his friend.

It would just look silly, wouldn't it? He thought as they started to talk about it. The League had the Hall of Justice, and now people knew of the Watchtower. They had to do something just as iconic. Wasn't how that worked?

"It seems like most agree," Bart said smugly as the Beetles high fived.

"Red?" Conner sighed as he looked at Kara, who had voted for the T shaped tower with a smug smile.

"If one of you can produce a good, workable design," he said; they could at least try and they had quite a few talented people.

"One, what about twenty, or thirty?" Kyle said as the creative juices started to flow and one design after another began to appear around them.

"One, so you better make it count," he said unable to hold back his laugh.

8888

He waited in the basement of a building downtown. This was the first of their exercise training. They had to find a way to sneak into the building undetected. They all had communicators to let him know if they got into trouble. At the top of that, the rest were looking after them from the outside. In his hand, he held files he would assign them as they arrived. Superboy had given him the idea. Many things were going on in San Francisco and he had tried to look into all of them on his own.

"Stop looking so pleased with yourself Drake. It's disgusting," he heard Damian say as he landed behind him. Of course, the kid would only take two minutes to break in.

"Good job Robin," he said to the kid as he went through the files. Now, in which one would he get the least trouble with… all of them could turn to dangerous situation if left alone. He was going with him, so he handed him a random file. "Wait until the rest get here."

But, of course, the kid didn't listen and opened the file with a skeptical look. He didn't skip on the criticism as he pointed out what a sloppy detective he was and how he would never be anything like his father. He stopped listening around the time he said he should stop trying and concentrated on the communication between the others.

"You are not beating us. You are going from the roof to the basement," Miguel said.

"_Hombre_, don't tell everyone else my plan," Paco said.

"Don't worry, no one is following you," Celine said next with a laugh.

"Who will follow me tonight?!" Paco shouted through the communicator making most of them cringe.

"No one," Kiran said before the rest laughed.

They were going to get caught if they kept at it, but it would be a lesson well learned.

"What about for a drink?" Paco asked. He knew he would need to have a talk with Thorax about boundaries around the younger members.

"Count me in," Leonid said, another talk he would need to do with someone older than him. Why couldn't anyone else be the leader again?

"You are not old enough to drink in this country," Celine reminded her friend.

"Not old enough," Leonid muttered under his breath. Okay, at least he could count on Celine to keep him in check.

"You buying?" Kyle asked.

"C'mon man, I just moved into town," Paco laughed nervously.

"And I am broke," Kyle reminded him before they laughed.

"Keep it professional," Superboy said before the line went quiet again. He guessed his friend was reminded too much of the mental link they used to share with M'gann.

"Where did you find these idiots?" Damian said rolling his eyes.

It was around five minutes before the next one arrived. It was Kiran and she did it through an air shaft.

"Hoff!" she puffed when she landed before she started clearing away the cobwebs from her hair, "please don't tell me they are always that dirty."

"They are worse," Damian said with a smirk.

"You must be tons of fun at parties," she said before accepting a folder from him.

"Aww man, I am third?" Paco said as he came down the service stairs, not flashy but fast.

"But you entered through the roof," Kiran said clearly shocked.

"Elevator shaft," he answered before Paco grinned.

"Fastest way down," Paco said before he explained Kiran how to do it if she ever needed to.

One by one they all made it to the basement. Last to arrive were Miguel, Celine, and Leonid, though their time wasn't bad at all for their first time.

"Wait, isn't that cheating?" Kara asked with a frown.

"I never said you couldn't work together," he told them before he saw some of them frown as they tried to recall his exact words. Indeed, he didn't. "Your next exercise will be more challenging. This will be about information gathering."

"Wait, this sounds more like spy stuff," Leonid said though he looked nowhere disappointed.

"Well, did you think the bad guys always announce what they are up to?" Garth said having done a few missions like this with them in the past.

"Most of what we do is information gathering. What good would it be to turn them to the authorities if there is no proof," Jaime said going over one of the files he had prepared.

"Believe me, it's pretty crash when you get a hang of it," Bart said.

"You never did," Conner reminded him though Kid Flash made it up for it with his speed and sneaking about.

"Is not my fault you can't appreciate my innovative acting skills," Bart said with a broad smile.

"Right," Jaime said before they shared a knowing smile. Bart had the acting skills of a five year old.

"You will not engage in any fight. If you come across any trouble, you will tell us, understood?" Conner added in a serious tone.

They heard what they wanted to hear from them, but he knew there were a few who would not hesitate to fight. They were no strangers to the feeling. It took them a while to get used to being able to handle things without fighting. For what he understood, Superboy was of the ones who had the most trouble in the past. Difficult to believe when he eyed everyone as if they were already punching someone in the jaw.

8888

He could be sitting with Superboy or Blue, or Kid Flash catching up with what they had been doing. Though it was just one week, it felt like an eternity since he actually got to talk to his friends. Instead, he was stuck making sure Damian didn't hurt anyone. Though, he was starting to believe that it might have been unnecessary.

The kid was showing off in the skating park. He used his incredible agility and flexibility to impress everyone who set eyes on him. He was not charming, but just the same it attracted the kind of crowds they wanted. Damian played the mysterious cool kid, which worked just fine for them.

Damian was smug, something he knew would take a long time to fix, but he was great at gathering information. It seemed the League of Assassins had taught the kid more than just wielding a sword. He wondered if it was a good thing.

He was able to learn that around a certain hour at night a van stopped by the park. They sold parts for bikes and skateboards, but there was a particular package which didn't contain any of the two mentioned before. It seemed the cops that checked in the area didn't know any better as the kids never opened the packages at the skating park. Instead, they gathered on the roof of an old building and Damian was invited.

"You are not bad at all," he said as they met outside of the park. He had been watching him from enough distance away as to not look suspicious. "Though that personality only works with teens and kids."

"I got it done, isn't that enough?" Damian said as he threw him the skateboard.

"You could be better," he said before the kid turned around and glared at him.

"Who do you think you are?!" he shouted poking him in the chest.

"You are right, forget I said anything," he said by stepping the child and walking on.

He could sense the boy glaring at his back. It wasn't a lie. The kid wasn't a Titan; he was Batman's Robin.

"Who has finished?" he asked his friends.

"Kiran, Kyle and Paco," Conner responded and he could hear a smile. They must have done great.

"Kiran was the first. She did it perfectly even though she is now known in the media. If that isn't talent, I don't know what it is," Bart said excitedly. He knew he still needed to have a talk with Bart. He missed the old days when all he had to worry was about kicking butt and not getting himself killed.

Kiran had disguised and blended into a culture different than hers. She had gained people's trust fast and efficiently, uncovering a ring of prostitution which exploited teens and young adults. Kiran was somehow able to hold back her indignation and play out the part of an ignorant teen who just wanted money.

"I need to scrub, that man was disgusting," she said as they met at their meeting point, the basement again. She shivered as she rubbed her arms, but she was also laughing. The thrill made her eyes shine and he knew she loved it.

"I have never done something like that before," Kyle said, "whenever someone sees a Lantern, they just run and we usually have to try to interrogate them. That was a lot easier."

"Yours was a bust, what are you talking about?" Paco said with a smirk.

"Yours too," Kyle responded.

"I admit it has its charms," Garth said being the next one to arrive. "Though I understood only a few of the things those men by the peer were speaking about, it was entertaining to see how much actually humans know about the sea." Garth had caught word of traffickers by the peer and around when they made their deliveries. If things went well, he would get his hands on the people who had brought the women he saved a few weeks ago.

"Speak only for yourself. I don't think I have ever flirted with a woman before and I am not repeating it anytime soon if I can help it," Miguel said as he continued to remove the lipstick from his cheek.

"But you were such a natural," Bart said, who had been looking after Miguel, trying to hold back his laugh.

"I just imagined it was my Gabe," Miguel said proudly.

"Aww," Kiran said before she hugged her friend.

"That's sweet and all, but can we not do it again anytime soon?" Miguel said before accepting a tissue from Kiran; that plus some lotion removed the lipstick mark.

Conner and Kara arrived at that time. The Kryptonian girl looked pissed while Conner just looked for a way to get away from her. He guessed things didn't go so well on that end.

"Your looks can be of great advantage to you in this case," Conner said though he didn't deny it was taxing. Though, anyone who said their good looks were a burden deserved a good kick in the face, but that was just his opinion.

"Yeah, attracting every creep in a one-mile radius is always such an advantage," Miguel said with a smirk when he noticed the glare of a few others.

"I understand the importance of such exercises for everyone else, but with my powers there is no point," Kara said looking away from them.

"Can you read minds?" he asked her.

"No," she said with a frown.

"Then you have to do this," he told her before turning to the next arrival. Leonid arrived dirty and bruised.

"Sup'?" he asked as if he didn't look as if he had gotten into a brawl.

"He is fine," Jaime said walking behind Leonid with Celine, who seemed a little upset. "And, I would have done the same if I had been in his place."

"A guy tried to pull me into a car," Celine said rubbing her arms as if she was cold.

"And ai punched his teeth in," Leonid said crossing his arms as if daring him to say he had done wrong.

"I told you if things got out of hand you had to ask for help," he said stepping up to the taller young man.

"I didn't need help," and there it was. That was exactly the kind of attitude he didn't want them showing towards him in front of the rest.

"Take the rest back to my place. Leonid, you will stay here with me until I say so," he said with a calm, commanding voice which he was sure Batman would have approved of.

"You arre not my type, bird boy," Leonid said getting gasps from just about everyone.

"Didn't you hear me?" he said looking at Jaime, who was the one who looked the most reluctant.

"Loud and clear," his friend said though he didn't look friendly or happy with his decision. But, at least he didn't challenge him in front of the rest.

In a minute, they were gone and only he and Leonid were left.

"You can't do that. You will place the rest in danger," he said matter of fact.

"She is my friend, I am not going to allow anyone to hurt her," Leonid said standing his ground.

"It's good you see things that way, but you have to measure how much you can do. What if the man had a gun? You are not bulletproof and if you had decided to show your powers you would have not just given yourself away, but Celine's chance of living a normal life as well," and he knew that was very essential to Celine. If he was really her friend, he should already understand that.

"You don't seem to have a problem with Kiran just telling everyone in the world about it," of course he would bring that up. He respected Kiran's decision, but it was starting to cause him trouble.

"I never said you could not go and tell the world who you are if you want, but don't pull the rest into it," he too wanted something that resembled a life when he returned home.

"Rob, c'mon, I was just looking after my friend," Leonid said though he didn't sound so sure anymore.

"I said that is fine but, she is the least likely to get hurt of all of us in the long run. She only wants to take the training to be able to protect herself and to control her abilities," but she was smart, strong, and gifted. It was really a loss for them.

"But you want her to do more," Leonid said somehow able to read his thoughts.

"That's her decision to make, but you…" he stepped closer to the taller and stronger looking young man and looked at him daring him to defy him again. "You are going to follow instructions until I believe you are ready to do things on your own, you got it?"

"Alright, kid… Red Robin," Leonid said really looking defeated.

"Let's go back," he said and realized it would be better for him to talk to Leonid of a few other things.

They took the long way back to his place and he talked to him about some of the rules they had not established. These were rules he chose for their unique circumstances, and personalities. He knew he couldn't push Leonid too much. So, he made them short and clear. Leonid made very few questions. It seemed that as long as he saw someone as a leader he would respect them. But besides that, Leonid was also cunning. He was looking for a crack in his armor; a weakness that would tell him if he was worth following. He didn't let any show.

After dropping Leonid with the rest who would arrange another training exercise with them, he set up for the major's office. He knew that most of what they had talked about, like the tower would never happen, if the major didn't get the support for the Titans to be officially accepted in San Francisco. They would still be there, just not actually accepted. It would be just like back home, but it didn't mean he liked it.

Dressed in his uniform, he made his way towards the governmental building on his motorcycle. He knew he was drawing a lot of attention to himself as he made daring turns and jumped over buildings.

"Don't you think you are a little harsh with them?" he heard Jaime say flying behind him, "Kid told me of what you said to Kiran."

"Did she complain?" he knew she didn't, but Bart was a bleed heart when it came to her. He was starting to think he really should have left her out, but was that fair? Kiran was the one excelling at everything he asked her to do.

"No but… but it doesn't make it right. You are treating them like you don't trust them," Jaime said breaking him out of a line of disloyal thoughts.

"In a sense, I don't. They are still new at this," he reminded his friend stopping on an alley near the government building.

"Gha! Stop using logic and listen to yourself. If you had been in their place, do you think you would have been happy following someone who didn't trust you?" but he didn't need to reply to that question. He looked at Blue, and though he was wearing a mask, his friend understood right away "forget I asked that."

"You want to join me?" he asked Blue who seemed to turn round and go back to the rest, "you know I trust you, right?"

"You better," Blue said with a laugh.

When they entered the office of Alissa Jackson, the woman was working behind her desk. The major sat typing on her laptop, only giving them a glance before she kept on going.

"What do you want?" she said without glancing at them.

"Your answer," he said as red flags started to be raised. There was something strange about the whole situation.

"No, we don't need vigilantes, especially children," she said stopping and then closing her laptop, "You may leave, I am going home."

"Blue, do a body scan," he told his friend.

"You will not do such a thing young man," the woman said but looked more worried than outraged.

"She is normal," Blue said a moment later with a frown.

"No, she is not," he stepped closer to the woman who claimed to be the major stepped back.

"I am not the one running around every night in a costume," she said, her hand reaching for the doorknob.

"The Alissa Jackson the others talked to early today was willing to listen and was even interested in expanding the conversation. You are not. You are trying to cut this short so we wouldn't notice the difference," Superboy had told him how she had sought to know more about their background, and they had suspected it was partially also because of curiosity.

"It's late and I need to get home to my kid," she said defensively.

"What is his name?" he asked.

"What?" she froze.

"Your son's name, what is it?" he asked again, eyes narrowing. Once Blue saw he wasn't paranoid his hand turned into the stapler gun.

"I- he…" her eyes searched the room. There were pictures of the teen but none that would give a hint to his name. This, whoever it was, was a rookie.

"What sport does he play?" he asked driving the last nail into the coffin.

"I will not have you interrogate me in my own office!" she shouting trying to get out of the deep hole she was in.

Then then heard a loud bang on the wall.

"I am on it, restrain whoever that is," he said running to another door.

"More like everybody," he heard the man say before he opened the door leading to the other room.

Inside he found the real Alissa Jackson. The woman's forehead was bleeding. On her effort to get them to notice her, she had bumped into the wall, lost her balance and hit her head on the corner of a small wooden table. Even then the woman trying to fight unconsciousness, which was the best thing she could do, for she might have a concussion. He hurried to remove the gag from her mouth.

"They have Zak!" those were her first words.


	12. The Chase

Note: I will start putting tittles on the chapters. Sincerely it is more for my sake than yours. Sometimes, I need to go back check things and I forget in what chapters they were.

A Robin, Red Robin 12: The Chase

"Do you have any idea of where they are keeping him?" if the imposter was somehow able to signal his allies that they had been mouth it meant the boy was in danger.

"No, but they called me from his phone. They told me to wait for this man," the Major looked repulsed for a moment, "he ate some of my hair and…"

The imposter they had captured and tied down was starting to change by the time they returned to the office. Whoever it was, their abilities only lasted so long. The high cheekbones began to fade, the dark curly hair became straight and lighter in color. The dark eyes became an unnatural tone of gray. Still, whoever it was would not reveal anything to them. He had tried to get the Major and Blue to leave the room, the woman would not have it. She had heard rumors of what Batman did to the scum of Gotham.

"Even if he is a criminal, if you want to remain in this city you will not do such a thing!" she said firmly standing between him and their prisoner. The prisoner then laughed, but the voice was no longer of a woman but a man's.

He wanted to explain to her that he wouldn't really hurt the guy, just scare him, but couldn't lose time on that. Instead, they used the Major's cellphone to track the location of the call she received from the kidnappers. Blue left to check the position while he stayed in case the bad guys showed up.

"Why won't you say anything?" he realized that while he was trying to track down the current location of Zac's phone he hadn't said a word for the past five minutes.

"I am busy," he said as he kept looking for the signal, but he suspected the kidnappers got rid of the phone. Then, he noticed her worried expression, "I have called all the Titans, they are also out there looking for him."

"Like a bunch of brats can do anything, you are way out of your league," the man cackled.

"I have already contacted the League; they are sending some members of their covert team," as much as it had pained him, they couldn't be prideful on this one.

"I see," and he knew she wanted to ask why the actual League wasn't coming to help. She already knew of the League's covert team due to her connections with people in higher positions, but it didn't help when they were talking about her son's life.

"They will be here shortly. Some of them, like Superboy, were already offered places in the League. No matter what, we will find your son," he assured her before Blue reported to him.

"_I found the place, but they are long gone. There are many tire tracks around the place. They are trying to throw us off," _Blue said.

"Now the question is, alive or dead?" the shapeshifter said as his skin tone changed. Outside, they could hear the sirens of police cars and an ambulance.

"Superboy, GL, and Thorax go to Blue's location and help him track them down," he said through the communicator, "the rest search the areas I am sending you for any clues."

The next moment the door to the office opened and a group of cops pointed their guns at him, "freeze!"

"Leave the boy alone!" the Major shouted at them, "they are trying to find my son."

The cops lowered their guns at once before the Major explained to them what happened. The police took the man away, leaving them alone.

"Major, you need to get medical attention," he told the woman after she refused to go to the ambulance outside.

"That can wait until I know my son is alright," she said though he could see she obviously had a horrible headache.

"Don't move," he said before taking a disinfectant spray from his belt and cleaning the wound on her forehead. Then, he handed her a small pill, "it will help with your headache without causing drowsiness."

"Thanks," she said taking it from him and staring at it in deep thought, "do you have to take this often."

"Not for headaches," more like when his muscles felt too sore.

"You are around my son's age, how come you are doing this?" she asked him before swallowing the pill.

"Because I choose to," he said as he checked on the location of all the Titans, plus Damian.

"Did you really?" she asked him with a tone that said she didn't believe it.

"Yes," he said as he took in the findings of each one of them.

"But why? You don't have to do things like this; you are just a child," she told him placing a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off.

"The first Robin used to go into the streets alone and take criminals on his own when he was even younger than me. He almost got himself killed. Batman got to him in time and proposed to train him because he knew that even if he tried to stop him, he would go back into the streets and maybe next time he wouldn't be so lucky. That kid went on to become Nightwing. The second Robin was a street urchin who stole the wheels from the Batmobile. If that isn't impressive, I don't know what it is. Batman knew that if he left him on his own he could become someone dangerous on the streets of Gotham. He also knew that guidance he could become someone that could do great good. That boy was killed by the Joker when he was my age, and Batman decided he would never take another assistant."

"Then how come you are here?" she asked him.

"I figured out what was Batman's identity simply because I was bored. I tracked him down and told him I wanted to be the next Robin. He said no and to enjoy my life," he explained the woman, "I didn't listen to him. I didn't have the physical prowess of the first Robin or the survival drive of the second Robin, but I am more stubborn than any of them. I too almost got killed for trying to do more than I could take, and Batman saw I could also become someone dangerous, for what is more dangerous than boredom with someone like me. So, he took me in, trained me, and made me realize that when doing _this_ we are giving up being children. None of us were forced to become _this,_ and we are also free to quit any time we want, but we chose not to."

"I still don't understand why you would choose this type of life," giving up on childhood, picking danger over protection, risking having your future taken away from you.

"I thought it would be especially easy for you to see," he told her with a smile, "because we want to make a difference."

The woman was speechless for a moment before her face turned furious. She didn't give direct another word to him and went to sit in her chair. He guessed he had hit a nerve.

"_Red Robin, I sense Miss Martian's ship. She is almost at your location," _Superboy reported.

"_I am joining with Superboy, there are no clues here," _Kid Flash informed which was fine with him since he was close enough.

Not long after the Team made of Miss Martian, Beast Boy, Tigress, and Static arrived through the window. The Major stood from her chair and took them all in. She had heard about the League's covert team, but another thing was to see it. He recognized the young African American boy as Static, who operated mainly from Dakota. She had not been aware of he was part of the Team. There was a youth around Red Robin's age who seemed to be a monkey mixture and of green color. He looked happy to see Red Robin and Alissa could only guess they were friends. There was a tall young blond woman with a tiger themed mask and outfit who carried weapons on her back and looked like she could take on someone who doubled her in size. Then there was the Martian, who looked frightening with her red eyes and hair, fangs, extremely long limbs and paper white skin.

"Miss Martian," he said to the leader of the team before displaying from the computer on his forearm a hologram that showed the location of all Titans who were tracking, "join the rest. It's possible all the tracks we found will lead to confrontations. We can't pull all the new Titans into it since Metas might be involved too."

"Understood, Beast Boy, stay with Red Robin in case the enemy tries to attack," Miss Martian said before she and the rest of her team left.

"So, no openings yet?" Beast Boy asked him.

"If you can get Miss Martian to agree to join us for the meetings…"

"Fat chance of that, she wants me to help with the new guys," Beast Boy said before slapping his forehead, "shoot, I shouldn't have said that."

"It was to be expected," he said with a shrug.

"So, you aren't angry?" Beast Boy asked him searching for a reaction.

"Why would I be?" he asked sincerely.

"Because of Black Bat," Beast Boy said before spotting the Major and waving at her. The woman waved back awkwardly.

"Oracle told me about her, but I didn't think she would be joining the Team," but then again that girl had more physical prowess than him and was trained by expert assassins (it was becoming sort of common, wasn't it?). But, unlike Damian, he was told she had a better hold on her emotions.

"Yeah, she is sort of the quiet type, but Oracle vouches for her, so…" Beast Boy left the rest unsaid. Oracle was the one who found the runaway girl. Since birth Black Bat had been trained to become the best assassin, but the first time she spilled blood she realized it was wrong and ran away. Since then she had been traveling the world on her own until she stumbled into Gotham and there met some of the city's protectors.

"_Red, the group we are after, is shooting at the police cars that got their friend, there're a lot of people around," _GL reported, _"Thorax and I are after them, but we can't get close enough since we are trying to keep the bystanders safe."_

"_Did you tell him about the Meta? Dios mio!" _Thorax shouted, _"I think she is shooting them from her hands!"_

"Bunker, and Supergirl, I need you to go help them right now," he told the two closest to them.

"_Got it, boss," _Bunker said before he saw the two of them rush to join the others through the tracker. He saw Miss Martian, who had been on her way change course and instead Static went that way.

"_I am joining with Blue Beetle, I saw those guys heading towards the sea,"_ Tempest said already in movement. Miss Martian was also going that way, so he trusted that between her and Blue they could keep the Atlantean out of trouble.

"Follow them when they are on the water and don't let them see you," he told Garth so they could gain the element of surprise.

"_A bunch of men just jumped on Blue Beetle and they are multiplying and bringing him down. Miss Martian is helping him; I will keep up in the pursuit."_

"Solstice and Robin, go help Tempest and don't overdo it," that was mainly for Robin. "Red Star and Skitter I need to you to keep searching the school. I think you might be have found something important," he said knowing Red Star's temper might get the better of him for not being part of the chase, but he also needed him to stay close to Skitter. In her current form if she stumbled on something she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

"Dude, you sounded just like Nightwing," Beast Boy said before his nose twitched, and his smile disappeared "someone is coming, someone dangerous."

It wasn't the first time he had seen Beast Boy use his heightened senses to detect danger before it appeared. This gave them enough time to hide Alissa. He had been right on thinking they would come if things didn't go their way. Beast Boy flew to lamp above as a small bird to hide. If it was someone too strong for him, his friend would fall on them in the form of a bear. A woman in a black outfit entered through the window wearing a white mask with plain features. Behind her, a long blond braid swung. She held sword on her hand and from her stance he could tell she was an expert using it. Now he wished Damian was there.

"Look at that? They left one bird to guard the place. You, kids, are really not meant for this," the woman said in a purring voice.

"Why are you doing this?" he said taking out a short staff which unfolded on his hand.

"Now, now, I am not one of those idiots who spill their guts out when asked," the woman said before she launched at him at a speed he didn't see coming. He barely had time to dodge her attack but just barely.

The sword opened a small wound on his shoulder which made him realize it was no ordinary sword. His suit was made of Kevlar reinforced with a small percentage of titanium. As he jumped to the side, he threw some smoke bombs. He would not defeat her head on. He activated the infrared vision on his mask and put on a gas mask and searched for her. She was nowhere in sight.

"Above!" he heard Beast Boy shout before he looked up and saw his friend tackle the woman in midair the form of an antelope. He heard the woman crash against the bookshelves before Beast Boy landed to his side. "She has gloves which allow her to attach to the ceiling," Beast Boy explained to him as he covered his sensitive nose.

"So, you aren't alone after all," the woman said with a grunt as she pulled herself up. By then the smoke was fading away. Her mask was cracked and falling apart, "you children are sneakier than I thought- Dark Star!" she then shouted before the two of them were blasted from behind. They turned around in time to see the woman jump into the arms of a dark-suited man who was actually flying. Like the woman his suit was all black and wore a white mask. "Let's go!"

"As you order Mistress," the man said in a deadpan before he flew out and away so fast they lost sight of them in a moment.

"I don't know about the chick, but that guy was definitely a Meta," Beast Boy said before he noted his arm, "you okay dude?"

"Help me getting a sample," he said as he took out a kit, and then explained to him that her sword was not ordinary. He took pictures of the wound and the samples of the blood in case there was some residue of the weapon's material. By then Alissa had stumbled from her hiding place as was watching as Beast Boy helped him apply a bandage around the wound.

"They really must not want you guys settling here," Beast Boy said when they were done; "something big might be going on here."

"Have you ever seen someone like that?" he asked before the other boy shook his head. Restraining a sigh, he walked to where pieces of the woman's mask had fallen and got a sample as well. "There are people after young Metas, you have to be careful. They might be involved."

"Please, like anyone could capture me," Beast Boy said as he went to sit on the couch, but he saw his large ears twitching attentive for anything out of place.

"_We got the boy," _Blue announced to the whole team, _"Tempest captured them in mid sea."_

"_The Meta got away," _Miss Martian said connecting to their frequency, _"he could create perfect copies of himself and they were attacking people. The moment Tempest got the boy they all banished."_

"We will all brief when you get back, anyone you were able to capture, turn them into the authorities for interrogation," he told them.

"I guess the chick decided to bail when she heard they failed," Beast Boy said.

"My son, is he fine?" Alissa Jackson said looking at him with wide eyes.

"Yes," he confirmed with a gentle smile. The woman collapsed on her chair before looking at the mess her office had become.

"Even if you answer is no, we are staying," he told the woman after a moment of silence.

She looked at him, trying to study him, before sighing.

A short while after Blue, Miss Martian, and Tempest arrived carrying the unconscious boy.

"He is okay, he fell asleep after we found him," Blue told them.

"That boy is very brave; he was trying to fight his captors on his own," Tempest said, "made it a lot easier to take them by surprise."

Miss Martian laid the boy down on the couch before closing her eyes and getting a sense of his wellbeing and recent memories, "he doesn't know anything, but he was ambushed at the school's locker room after practice. All of them were wearing the same kind of white mask."

As more and more arrived they gathered there were other Metas involved. The man that could turn into other people after eating something of them, a woman that could shoot fire from her hands, a man that could fly and shoot some type of energy from his eyes, a man that could make hard copies of himself, and a man who was part beast with sharp claws and teeth. Then, there was the one who was called Mistress. Even if she wasn't a Meta, she was extremely dangerous.

"I have never seen Metas like that in the League's database," Miss Martian said, "they were too organized to be new."

"They might be mercenaries," Superboy added as mercenaries tended to be less known.

"I will get in contact with Red Arrow and see if he has any info on them," Tigress said stretching. "What I would do for a warm bath."

"We will stay in touch Red Robin, I hope we can work together on this matter," Miss Martian said and then her group left.

"See you later guys," Static said looking a bit unsure about leaving. He knew the Dakota hero was tempted to join them just like Beast Boy, but that would have to wait until they got their bearings.

"My head," Zak Jackson said starting to wake up before his eyes went wide. All around him were capes, "so, it wasn't a dream."

"Oh, Zak!" the next moment his mother was hugging him.

"Mom! Not in front of them!" the teen shouted blushing and trying to pry his mother off him.

"I think we should go," Kid Flash told him.

"One sec," he said before handing the woman what seemed to be two round pins. "If any of you come across those guys again, just press it and we will get an alert."

"Cool," Zak said taking his and noted there was a red T on the pin.

"You can stay," the Major said out of the sudden, "but you got to report what you find, and no torturing anyone."

"Like he has the backbone for it," Robin said before getting a few glares from the Titans.

"Then we will stay in touch Major," he told her with a smile before they all left.

"Ehm, mom?" Zak said staring at the window through which more than a dozen capes had left.

"Yes sweetie?" she said remembering the cut on her head. If she needed stitched she would cry. It had been such a horrible night.

"Okay so, like you are sort of cool, but if you tell anyone I said that I will deny it," her son said.

"Deal," she laughed and cringed at the same time as her headache started to come back.

8888

"That wasn't so bad," Kid Flash said as they made it back Tim's apartment.

"Are you kidding? We almost got turned into human French fries," Green Lantern said showing him his half burned eyebrow.

"But you didn't," Kid Flash said before he left the Green Lantern speechless.

"We accomplished what we went out to do," Superboy said as he took a seat on the couch, "and no one got seriously hurt. That's good enough."

"I am running some tests, don't bring the place down," he told them as he went into his room. He knew most of them were really pumped up by then, and hoped Superboy and the rest could keep them down.

Five minutes passed before he heard something crash and someone shout sorry. After running some tests and sharing the info with the Team, he went back to his living room to find out what the damage was. It seemed Bart's everyday answer to everything worked. The speedster was getting a little too good at finding food late at night. He found them eating, chatting, and playing music. If it wasn't for the uniforms, he could have sworn this was a party.

"I don't think so," Superboy said standing on the door as Leonid, Kyle and Paco tried to bring in some packs of beer inside.

"Aw c'mon, we earned it!" Paco said.

"Drink it somewhere else," Superboy told them not moving an inch.

"On the hall?" Kyle asked before Superboy sighed and pushed them into the hall and took one from them.

"Let this be the last time," Superboy told them as he drank one not bothering to tell them he wasn't affected by it. Knowing him, he was trying to keep them from finishing them all on their own.

"I just know they are going to take that later to my place," Blue said with a sigh not looking forwards to it.

"You could leave them the place and move somewhere else," he told his friend though he feared into what troubles Kyle and Paco would get into without Jaime's voice of reason around. Leonid listened well to Celine, so he didn't worry as much about him unless he was in the company of the other two.

"It's more complicated than that," Blue said as he leaned on the wall and watched the rest enjoy their victory.

"C'mon Blue! Let's celebrate our victory!" Kid Flash said pulling his friend into a space they cleared to dance.

"Wait!" Blue shouted trying to break free, but it was pointless. He was glad; he didn't like to see his friend brood.

"Could you ask the little guy to take me home?" Bunker asked him with a polite smile. He knew he didn't sign up for this part.

"We could bring Gabe over," he told the young man.

"Nha, I am also sort of tired and by the looks of this, it's going last," Bunker said as he waved goodbye at some of them.

"Really?" he asked wondering how he could tell.

"Well, yeah," Bunker said as if it was as plain as day, "you guys aren't going to sleep much and I have to open the café tomorrow so…"

"Kid Flash," he called his friend who had been about to do his interpretation of the chicken dance, "can you help get him home?"

"No _problema_," Kid Flash said taking a deep breath before leading the young man out, "remember to keep your hands to your chest and don't move too much."

"I can't wait until you finish your transportation thing," Bunker laughed knowing it wasn't also easy for Bart to carry someone bigger than him though he tried to make the trip fast.

He sat on the couch and was soon joined by Celine. Though she didn't want to be a hero, she asked him a lot of questions about his own training with Batman.

"To put it bluntly," he said after pondering the best way to say it, "Batman works you until you pass out. You rest and it starts all over again."

"That sounds horrible!" Celine said.

"Not so much," he told her, "I wanted to be Robin as soon as possible so I didn't mind."

"If you had told me that when I first met I would have thought you were nuts, but I guess even you know when to have fun," she said leaning a little closer to him.

"This is not my first choice for having fun," he said without thinking. He blamed Nightwing's influence.

"Is that so?" she asked him with a curious smile.

"Hey Celine!" they turned to see Leonid at the door, "come have drink before Superboy drinks the whole thing himself!"

"I will pass!" she said before turning to him, "you want one?"

"I don't drink," he said with a shrug and ignoring the way Red Star stared at them before turning back to the rest.

"Superboy doesn't seem to have a problem with it," she said when they saw Thorax and Superboy start a drinking contest for the last pack of beer.

"He can't get drunk," Red Robin couldn't help saying with a smile.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!" Green Lantern and Red Star sang to try to help their friend, but Superboy was clearly winning drinking the stuff as if it was water.

"Isn't that like cheating?" Celine said unable to help laughing.

"That's just how Kryptonians and half Kryptonians are," he said before they spotted Supergirl bending a piece of metal for Damian, who then tried to bend it back, but the poor kid was having a hard time.

"It all seems so normal, but it isn't," Celine said as Tempest, Blue Beetle, and Solstice laughed at the sight before the boy glared at them and they became quiet.

"Missed me?!" Kid Flash said returning.

"Who are you again?" Blue had said before his friend tackled him.

"Those two are very close," Celine said as the two wrestled on the ground while the rest laughed.

"They share some history having to do with Kid Flash traveling to our time and keeping Blue Beetle from becoming a pawn to the Reach," he explained in as few words as possible.

"Now, that's a bromance," Celine said wide eyed, "so, they aren't like together?"

"That's funny," he said remembering the way Blue would stare and Wonder Girl when he thought no one was looking. Of course, his friend never made a move on her while he was dating her, but he wondered what would happen now.

"Tell me about it. He liked the same girl for like since ever and she crushed his heart, and mine too, literally," Paco said behind them. He would never admit Paco of all people took him by surprise, especially when he looked like he had drank more than what he could take.

"You lost?" Celine asked before looking towards the door where Conner was drinking what remained on his own as the rest looked on with jealousy.

"You bet I did," Paco said proudly before they watched Kiran help Bart up. Blue, on the other hand, had to get some help from Tempest. "Hey Red, did you know that the chick that's helping his sister came to see him?"

"Tracy Thirteen?" he had heard about her from others, well actually from Paco, who made it his business to know what everyone else was doing.

"Yeah, that one, it looks like Blue is falling head over heels for her. Why don't you invite her into the team and give the poor guy a break?" he said through slurred words.

"You know that's not how it works," that's the last thing they wanted actually though it was kind of hypocritical of him after his previous chat with Celine.

"Is that so?" Paco said as he looked on to where Kiran and Bart were talking quietly to each other and everyone else was trying to get to Kara, except Conner, who looked at them as if they had lost their minds.

"Let's go dance Celine," Leonid said giving up on Conner giving them any of the beer back.

"I want to hear everything later, got it?" she told Paco, who gave her a thumb's up.

"C'mon boss, we need more girls on the team," Paco told him leaning over the couch.

"This is not a dating service," he told the young man.

"I know," Paco whined, "but you aren't going to say that the Team didn't have its couples too, right?"

"What did he tell you?" and by he, he meant Bart.

"Nothing much, just that he got told to get lost more than once," Paco said with a knowing smile.

It had been hard to find a place without surveillance in the Watchtower, and still somehow Bart was always able to find them.

"I am going to kill him," if Wonder Girl didn't do it first.

"So you see; there is no need to be so uptight. Besides man, you were doing really well with Celine, and before you ask, yes everyone noticed," Paco said before going back to where Kyle was also trying to get a word with Kara.

"He was with the Posse for a few years. He is used to gathering information since he didn't have powers back then," Conner said sitting next to him.

"I didn't forget," really, he hadn't. But the way Paco behaved sometimes made it seem like he was a fully different person.

"Those three together are trouble," Conner told him looking at Kyle, Leonid, and Paco. "You need to talk to them."

"I know," but they were all older than him. For the exception of Leonid, they were all of drinking age.

"You want me to do it?" Conner asked him.

"No," he was their leader, he would deal with it.


	13. Silent Night

NOTE: this is the usual order in which I update

Becoming Superboy

The Flight of the Blue Beetle

Kid Flash's Not so Easy Path

A Robin, Red Robin

I try to write at least one chapter per week, so at least every story gets an update every month.

A Robin, Red Robin 13: Silent Night

"Red Robin," Batman appeared on a side of his screen.

"Busy," he said as he worked on accommodating the patrol schedules and the training exercises they would be running in the near future. He was accommodating to everyone's needs by pairing to others that had more experience in some fields.

"We have to talk," Batman said taking over the whole screen.

"Is it about the Metas involved with the kidnapping of Major Jackson's son?" he asked as he picked some of the designs the team members had delivered for their tower.

"No," Batman said with a frown.

"Is it involved with the recent increase of street gangs acquiring potent weapons, such as bazookas?" Blue was getting his hands full with that one. He was glad his friend had quit his previous internship and was looking after that. He wondered if he could have him take one of the new guys with him to learn on the field. Now, who wasn't too hot headed?

"No," Batman said starting to lose his patience.

"Is it related to anything the Titans are working on?" he asked putting down Kyle's eleventh submission even though he told him just to make one. He had yet to remind him that because he liked them all.

"Boundaries," Batman summarized in one word.

"Boundaries? What type of boundaries?" so maybe he did take some of the new experimental Batarangs last time he visited but so had everyone else.

"Physical boundaries," Batman said continuing to be cryptic. He respected the man, but he wasn't a damn mind reader.

"I have done nothing, and neither have the rest. And, if we are talking about Damian's definition of physical boundaries, then yes a few people held hands and whispered to each other," mainly Kiran and Bart.

"Underage drinking," Batman added another phrase which he was expected to understand right away.

"Superboy doesn't count, and I already talked to Leonid," he really had. He had gone to Leonid's place that same morning while the blond had a horrible headache and reminded him there were laws they had to follow even if they were different in his home country. He wasn't sure if he got it all between emptying his stomach over the porcelain bowl, but Celine promised she would remind him when he woke up again.

"Damian might be a child, but he can read _tension_," okay, so he was talking about _that_ possibly happening. Who would have thought the kid had understood? Well, no more giggling after whispering in each other's ears even if it's just to say they really liked the music, true story.

"If I find that you are sending him to spy on us, then you can start forgetting about us welcoming him again, support or not," he could keep his money for all he cared. They were not going to be told what to do by them. "Also, just about all of them are adults or close to being. They can choose to do whatever the hell they want with their bodies. It's not our fault the League is full people who fear commitment." For the exception of a few, but he didn't need to explain himself to the biggest spinster of all. With that, he turned off the computer. If that didn't come back to bite him on the- who was he kidding? Batman would get to him sooner or later.

888

"So, you know I have to leave Earth sometimes, so paying the rent and that stuff… it's kind of hard. I lost the longest job I had when I got pulled into it," Kyle said after he brought up the arrangement of his living quarters. The young man had no trouble accepting his rules regarding alcohol and other behaviors. But, he tensed up when he brought up the new project.

"You can't keep crashing in Jaime and Paco's place," he told him knowing that's what the Lantern had been doing the past few days.

"They don't seem to mind," he said unable to meet his eyes.

"But I do," Kyle was a friendly and cheerful guy, a little too much sometimes which made it difficult for him to face confrontation or even express his anger. He just wanted to make everyone happy. Which was good, but he had to know already that a smile wouldn't always work.

"I know you are helping the others to get places, but I don't want to do that," because he was the oldest among all of them? He wondered if it was because of that.

"Yet, you don't want to find a place of your own," he couldn't decide he was going to act like an adult and then do nothing. Much of what they did out there while wearing the uniforms also had to do with their wellbeing, like having a place where to sleep, eat, and just be able to relax.

"It's not like I have a choice, my life is a chaos. Instead of spending summer here, I am going to travel through space fighting an ancient conquering race. I-" he stopped when Tim raised his hand.

"Stop making excuses," he said in a flat tone before he saw the man clench his teeth.

"You don't get it; you are just a kid," he all but spat, his anger finally showing. He was no match for a Lantern, so he decided to shift things again. He pushed showed him on his screen the image of a building.

"This is the place I found you. It's a loft, cheap, and found in the Blind Alley," which was where most freelance artists resided in San Francisco, supposedly named after a blind painter whom no one ever learned their name.

"Even if you say that, I still won't be able to keep it," but his eyes said he loved the old building at first sight and how spacious it was probably inside. Kyle did not just draw and paint. He also sculpted and so many other things. Space was something he appreciated.

"The owner of the place used to be in the Team, she goes by the name of Donna. She is also a photographer," he said thankful Superboy kept her contact information. Though he had never met her, when they talked on the phone she had been nothing but pleasant and happy to help. He was sure they would get along.

"Wait, she is a cape?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Ex-cape, got married, and moved here," and not to forget to mention she also gave up her powers which made Wonder Woman very upset. He wasn't even sure if they were in speaking terms. "She understands _our_ circumstances and is not free, but she will give you the chance to pay later after you came back from your missions in space. Also, I sent her some samples of your work. There are some galleries she believes will be interested."

"That can't be true," Kyle said standing up, "you are pulling my leg."

"She said you can drop by anytime during the day if you are interested. I am not forcing you to do anything, but I remind you that the Titans look after each other," he didn't want Kyle to think he owed him anything. This was for the wellbeing of the Titans.

888

"I already heard it from Jaime," Paco said crossing his arms and looking away as if he was facing the school principal.

"I don't doubt you have, but he is not the one leading this team, I am," he reminded him. "So, you are going to listen."

"Fine," Paco said, but still pouted like a kid.

"Look, I get you had to hide for a long time so La Dama wouldn't kill you. You spent a long time locked in that house," the Posse had only done it so Paco could get a chance in the future of a life and he could respect that, but the man was behaving like a kid when he shouldn't.

"Thanks, Dr. Phil, I feel so much better," said Paco as he checked his nails.

"I don't blame you for wanting to have fun, so I am freeing these two nights so you can do just that," he said turning the screen of the computer around so Paco could see it. He was starting to feel like the school's principal. Not a pleasant feeling.

"You are not serious," he got the days after their training sessions, Monday and Tuesday, which was as rare as an unicorn without a horn.

"I am, I checked (hacked) your work schedule and also switched it so those two days are completely yours," he said showing Paco his new work schedule. The young man stared at it as if he couldn't believe before a frown appeared on his face.

"What is the catch?" he asked with a pokerface.

"There is no catch, but an offer which you can decline and still get those two days off," he said pushing a pamphlet with the classes at the local community college, "I glad you got your GED, but who says it has to end there?"

"So, you want me to use my free days to go to school," Paco asked picking it up. He had given a simple nod before Paco went through the flier. The place was near the tattoo shop Paco worked at, had quite a few art classes, and flexible schedules.

"I know you and Blue are going away to fight the Reach, so you have plenty of time to think about it," he said noting Paco was starting to get upset. He had seen his type before. He knew what the right thing to do was. But he didn't like to be told, so the best he could do was give him some space and let him feel that it was really his choice.

"Got it," Paco said starting to get up.

"And no more drinking when you are with us," he reminded him again.

"I know, I know," Paco said with a sigh accompanied by guilt, which told him something had happened there.

888

Jaime started to choke on his food after telling him what happened with Paco. His friend had invited him to join him in his lunch hour at a family restaurant not far from the garage he worked at. Finally, he was able to swallow and then started laughing

"Mhuahahahaha(gasp)hahaha" Jaime held his stomach as he laughed and as small tears began to form in his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked when his friend was finally able to calm down.

"So, you know I can't lie to my mom, right?" Jaime said without shame. He had met his mother a few times, and she didn't seem that scary.

"Right," he said wondering where he was going with this.

"Last time she called she asked to talk to Paco, it turns out he can't lie to her also. When she asked him if he was behaving, he spilled it all out. My mom chewed him out," Jaime tried not laugh again as he recalled Paco's expression. He had to guess it was priceless.

"Oh," he didn't get it completely, but he was starting to get the idea.

"And just to make sure, she told Paco's mom and she went all the way to our place and chewed me out too," Jaime said between snickers.

He hadn't realized that Paco cared a lot about his mother's opinion of him as well as Mrs. Reyes, who was like an aunt figure to him. Well, now he knew how to keep him out of trouble though it felt kind of wrong to tell on him to his mother. He wondered if a similar approach would work with the others.

888

"Let's get this over with," Leonid said taking a seat.

"How are your living arrangements?" he asked Leonid without looking away from the files they had to work with.

"You didn't just call me to ask me that," Leonid said giving him an accusatory look.

"That's right, but that is something I need to know. I also wanted to ask if there was something, in particular, you wanted to do while here. I already got all of your paperwork arranged so if you choose to study or work either one should be fine," though he did have a list jobs that would not interfere with their other activities.

"Are you making fun of me?" Leonid asked leaning forwards with narrowed eyes.

"Why would I do something like that?" he asked already knowing this conversation was going to exasperate him.

"You like Celine," Leonid said, never stopping his look of accusation.

"Yes I do, and I know you do too. But, that has nothing to do with this," he said showing him the screen with his files.

"It has everything to do with this! You ordering us around and-" he stopped when he slammed his hands on the table.

"Let's get this straight," he said glaring at Leonid, "yes, I do like Celine, but I will not compromise our team because of that."

"You are not even going to try?" Leonid asked after the words sank in. He sat again unable to keep his resentment from showing on the tenseness of his body. Celine was the first girl he had felt interest on since Cassy, but as the leader he had to place the team before anything else. It hurt, but he would survive.

"I am here to lead our team, not to turn it into a mess. But, let me just say that if you do anything that pushes Celine away from the Titans, you will also go," he knew Celine's calm demeanor was too contrasting with Leonid's explosive temper. He hoped they somehow balanced each other nevertheless he knew first hands not all relations like that worked out.

"I would never do something like that," Leonid said with a straight face and back. Part of him wanted to give him a punch and stop his gloating. Yeah, so he had won, but only because he allowed it.

"You better be right about that," he said intertwining his fingers and going back to business, "now, what do you want to do?"

888

Those three were going to be the death of him, he thought while out in patrol with Tempest. He was thankful for the Atlantean's silence as he observed the city from a roof. Not really something Atlanteans were used to doing, but he seemed to be enjoying it as he gained a better understanding of the surface world. More often than not, his previous visits had more to do with helping the Team than getting a chance to get a look around. He had found him a place by the sea where he could go into the water without being seen. They didn't need people asking why he could stay under water for so long. It made things it easier for them because Tempest could actually hide his gills with his shoulder-length hair, though they had already come up with a wardrobe that would help him conceal them, just in case.

"The world sound so differently up here," Garth said, "even from television shows. There is no comparison."

"You have TV in Atlantis?" he asked stunned. He had never heard of it.

"Before La'gaan came to the surface, he alongside Blubber and Sheeva found an old television and somehow got it fixed. They used to ask me all the time to power it since they were somehow able to incorporate magic into it. Sometimes I would stick around to watch, but I always left reminded that it could become addictive," he said, never looking away from the streets below. He had never been to Atlantis but had heard from others it was a marvelous sight. He wondered if Garth saw the surface world in a similar way.

"Yeah, there are some people like that," he said with a short laugh.

"And that doesn't worry you?" Tempest looked at him with concern.

"It is a problem, but there are worse things that they could be doing than watching too much TV. And yes, it can be addictive," he knew of people and a specific Martian, who because too interested in some shows.

"No doubt, the Lantern, Red Star, and Thorax talked a lot about _shows_," oh yes, the perfect subject of TV shows. You could never go wrong with that if you were trying to break the ice.

"We all got some guilty pleasure," he said with a shrug, "mine is eighties' horror movies."

"Horror movies? You enjoy fear?" Tempest said looking confused.

"You would have to see one to understand," he hoped he would understand. He was already planning to have a movie night.

Then they heard an explosion and then saw smoke coming from one of the warehouses in the pier. They rushed towards the warehouses by going over the buildings. Once they reached the edge, Tempest took him no better than a sack of potatoes and threw him towards the water. All the while he had to remind himself the guy had control over water.

"Hold on!" and exact to his reputation the water caught him in the form of a hand. He still got wet, but they were definitely moving faster towards the warehouse on fire. In their way, they spotted a lot of people running away from the sight. They all seemed to be fine thankfully though a few missing their eyebrows. When they arrived at their destination, it was a living hell. They couldn't hear any screams for help from the inside, but he knew they couldn't take risks.

"Remember they can't breathe underwater," he said to Tempest before he raised his arms and with it two large streams of water. With swift movements, he led the two streams into the warehouse. It seemed almost like a dance, but a particular one that spoke of many years of practice. He saw Tempest close his eyes as he led the water to every crook of the place.

"There is one person inside," he said before he changed the rate of his movement and in a moment a man was pulled out by the water in a gentle flow. Tempest had been careful not to cover the man's face with water though the rest of his body was and there was also a unique shade of green to the water. "It has algae with medicinal properties that will help with his burns and the pain," Tempest explained as Red Robin placed an oxygen mask over the man's mouth. He also noticed there were darkening shades on his face. The man had been hit by someone.

"Who did this to you?" he asked as the man started to gain consciousness. In the distance, he could hear the firefighters and ambulance on their way. They had to hurry.

"Too fast, I couldn't see anything," the man mumbled out, "but I saw a sword… I think it was a sword."

The man passed out again though he didn't look to be in pain anymore. Whatever Tempest had applied on his wounds was doing a perfect job.

"Red Robin, over there," he looked up and saw two shadows making a getaway from the scene. One was evidently carrying a sword, and they also happened to be very short.

Without having to explain to Tempest, they both started chasing after them and into the city. He knew he couldn't slow down but trusted the shrimp wouldn't kill anyone. Tempest was still getting used to word without water to support his body. He was fast, but not as fast as he needed him to be. They arrived at a strip club where they could hear gunshots and screams.

"Follow after me," he told the Atlantean before using his grapple gun to swing through one of the windows startling everyone below to a stop. He made a flip in the air at the same time that he released smoke bombs. In the fraction of the moment he entered, he spotted their target. After a quick check that Tempest was following he took hold of the devious brat, dragged him into the dressing room where he covered the kid's eyes as some of the women were in a state of undress to finally kick the back door open and make a swift gateway.

Tempest joined them shortly on the roof after washing out all the people shooting into the street and taking away their weapons. The Atlantean looked surprised when he saw him holding Robin in a headlock and trying to keep him in place.

"That didn't take you long," he said before greeting his teeth when Damien bit him.

"I had some help," he said as a young woman in a black suit with a yellow bat insignia on her chest and belt arrived.

"Black Bat?" he asked before the short dark haired teen nodded. Her mask was similar to theirs but pointier at the ends.

He released Damian and pushed him to the side. Ignoring the kid's glare he marched up to her until their faces were only inches from each other. She didn't even flinch as she met her dark blue eyes with his.

"Why didn't you stop him? You almost got a man killed in that warehouse," he said to her thankful none of the men in the club, though probably scum, were also not dead. The fact that none of the ambulances were rushing away was good sign.

She said nothing, just kept staring at him. It was unnerving, but he wasn't about to back down. He didn't care she had better physical training than him. He would stand his ground. How was it possible the kid got her to come all the way there? He just knew they took one of Bruce's toys and that never ended well.

"I get you were trained to protect Ra's al Ghul, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything the kid says," he told her although her eyes didn't tell him if she was even listening to him.

A frown appeared on her face, but she still wouldn't say anything. It was starting to piss him off. Then, she placed a hand on his chest, to which even Tempest looked surprised as she breached more of his personal space.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she got a little too close to him. He was able to see in the shroud of darkness that she had delicate features like those of a doll. Then, she closed her eyes and placed her ear against his chest. Okay, that was awkward. He looked at Tempest for help, but he was looking away. "Enough," he said pushing her back. She opened her eyes and stared at him just as fearlessly as before. Had he insulted her? What was he thinking? That just had to be inappropriate in some way.

She stood back before walking away from him. He was about to ask her what she was doing before noticing Damian was gone. It was all a distraction. He should have known Damian would give her some type of instruction if they crossed paths. She started towards a direction. Guessing she was going to look for Damian, they followed at a safe distance.

"Have you not met before?" Tempest asked him giving him a curious look.

"Never," he said not looking at the man. It was too embarrassing. He knew that if Dick got word of what happened he would not shut up about it, ever.

They followed Black Bat for what felt like eternity. He threw questions her way like what was Damian after? Did Batman know they were there? And why the heck wouldn't she answer?! He was clearly starting to lose his patience. Every stop they made, much like their first night in town, was met with multiples gangs and distributors being hit, and disarmed. Unlike the big mess Damian used to leave, this time they were tied up and turned to the authorities. Okay, so the kid had actually learned something. There were times when they did catch up with him, but usually it was in the middle of a fight. He got a chance to see Black Bat's style. She moved like a shadow and hit probably as badly as Batman himself. It made him work double as hard. No wonder they were letting her work the Team so soon.

As it had become Damian's style, he always got away in a moment of distraction. Dawn wasn't far when they finally caught up with the kid dozing off on a roof, but still managed to give him a smug smile. Through the night, he had figured out the bat-brat's objective. They had indeed stopped the distribution of drugs by the skating park a few nights ago, but Damian had not been satisfied by this. The kid had tracked down every single person and location related the distributors and had taken them down.

"Happy with yourself?" he asked the kid who just smiled broader. He didn't care he was trained by assassins; he was ready to knock some sense into the kid's thick skull and marched towards him. Then, Black Bat got on his way. "Move," he told her before she looked up.

"Hey Red Robin!" he also looked up and spotted Nightwing descending from the Batplane. He landed in front of him with an apologetic look. "Sorry, I couldn't drop him off myself. Batman sent me in this sudden mission and I asked Black Bat to do it since I was in a hurry. I guess things didn't go as planned," Nightwing said noticing his tired and frazzled look. She was supposed to drop Damian off with him?

"Greetings Nightwing," Tempest said to which Nightwing responded amiably. "We asked her many times for answers, but she wouldn't give us any," he explained before Nightwing did a face palm and turned to glare at Damian.

"Stop looking at me that way or I will poke your eyes out in your sleep," Damian threatened though he was still smiling. What was the kid hiding?

"Black Bat can't speak," Nightwing said pulling the girl towards them, "well, she can, but she just doesn't know how. That's why she couldn't explain what was going on."

Black Bat nodded to confirm this. They heard Damian start to snicker on the back.

"She was probably also trying to get hold of him to deliver him to you," Nightwing sighed.

"So, this was just one big misunderstanding?" he asked feeling something twitch inside of him. Was that his sanity?

"Pretty much?" Nightwing said looking as if he wished to be anywhere else. He could have given him a quick call, but no, he just dropped a girl that couldn't speak with the most malicious brat in the world in his city and expected him to know what was going on. He was even worse than Batman… this was his revenge, wasn't it? Nightwing didn't look so tired from his sudden mission, at least not as much as him. Was this really revenge? Or did Bruce just have that much of a twisted sense of humor?

"I think he is unwell," Tempest said before he was shaken from his thoughts.

"I am fine," he said before turning to Black Bat and offered an apologetic smile, "sorry about before, and welcome to the family." She gave him a tired smile and nodded. He hadn't realized that she was also looked tired until then. He felt like an idiot.

"I guess it all ended well," Nightwing said before he glared at him. He would have his payback, but not jet. "I will take them back home, see you later, nice to see you again Garth."

"Likewise," the Atlantean said before most of the bats left.

He was ready to go home, take a warm bath, get a few hours of sleep and then plot Nightwing's demise.

"Red Robin," Tempest, to whom he was grateful had helped him through the whole thing, called him. "I shook hands with Black Bat and she gave me this," Tempest handed him a piece of paper with an address and a word. "What does it mean?"

"This is somewhere in Gotham," he said pointing to the address, "a very dangerous place." It was a place where a lesser of evils operated from, but it was still a dangerous place. But the word that accompanied it, he didn't get what it was for. It was a mystery to him. Something in his mind shifted and he wasn't sure if it was because of the exhaustion, but he had to know why that word was there.

"Red Robin?" Tempest asked him as he started to walk towards the edge of the building.

"Don't tell the rest about this," he stated to Tempest, "not at least until we know more about it." It could be a trap from Selina though it didn't seem like her style. Since she had taken over the Calabrese family, more resources had gone to the shelters and protection of the area. Her business was still shady as ever, but with no innocent blood being spilled. Batman didn't say it aloud, but they weren't going after her unless she started to behave like a real cold blooded mob boss. Just as her father, Rex 'The Lion' Calabrese had been for many years.

"You are going to that place?" Tempest asked following him.

"It's a mystery that needs to be solved," he said looking at the piece of paper again. "Want to tag along?"

_Spoiler_, he had to know.


	14. Spoiler Alert

_**Spoiler Alert**_

He leaned back on his chair and went over the schedule once again. Everyone had something to do. It unnerved him. Especially because of what happened a few nights ago. Green Lantern, Thorax, and Red Star had all gone against his orders and infiltrated the Wild Ones gang, possibly costing the life of Muse. Blue, who had been the one assigned to the actual infiltration, blamed his self. The man might have had a chance if those three had acted as a backup just as he told them to. He gave a warning to each one of them that if they went against his orders again they would be out. He had never thought about kicking anyone out, but it was a obvious possibility. Those three had done everything he had 'recommended' to them since and had not complained even once.

However, he knew he had to push those issues to the back of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand.

"Are you sure?" Nightwing asked through the open screen.

"Yes," he said preparing his gear for a full night in Gotham.

"Are you going to tell me why?" Nightwing asked.

"No," he said. The door to the bedroom opened and Garth came out dressed in civilian clothing. He pulled at the fabric uncomfortably. It seemed Atlanteans preferred their clothing tighter.

"I don't know," Nightwing said with a frown.

"You owe me one," and there went his chance to know if Bruce could match a tune.

"I supposed this is easier. Be there in twenty," Nightwing said. However, he still didn't look convinced. He was sure he would try to tap into their new frequency. The League had been doing this from day one. It was getting annoying but pushing him into new boundaries.

"I am not sure I am the most qualified to join in your investigation," Garth said standing by the panoramic window of his living room.

"Our investigation; you need the experience," he said before gearing up.

Just as Nightwing had said, the Zeta beam was ready for them. It took them first to the Watchtower where unsurprisingly Kaldur was waiting for them. He had been receiving messages from the soon to be Leaguer for days now. He wanted to talk about Garth joining them instead of the Team. He told him he should talk to him directly. Now, this was his chance.

"Garth," Aqualad said politely.

"Kaldur'ahm," Tempest said indifferently.

The two Atlanteans stared at each other for a moment before shaking hands only out of courtesy. Whatever friendship had once been there, it died the same day Tula had. Though neither one said it, he knew they blamed each other for Tula's death.

"This must mean you are joining the Titans," Kaldur said giving him a brief glance. He crossed his arms and didn't deny it. It wasn't that he was happy that they couldn't work together anymore, but he was glad they were not losing Tempest anytime soon.

"True, our King has approved of my decision," Tempest said keeping his tone indifferent as if he was reporting on a mission.

"You already had experience with the Team," Kaldur said still trying.

"None that I wish to remember," Tempest kept his tone even, but that didn't save the words from hitting Kaldur. He looked authentically shocked, and then regretful that things had become so unfavorable between them, who were once best friends. Tempest seemed to regret his words when he saw Kaldur's expression but turned away and asked him, "When are we leaving?"

He guessed Nightwing had been watching because a moment later they got the signal that the Zeta beam was ready. Tempest didn't turn around to say goodbye, which actually worried him. He didn't want him distracted from their mission.

"Be safe," Kaldur said crestfallen. It was the only thing he could say before they were gone.

When they made it to Gotham, he wanted to ask Garth if he wanted to talk about it. However, he wasn't sure it was a good idea. It was one of those situations where more life experience would be helpful. Garth was a man of twenty-three who had loved and lost while it wasn't that long ago that he barely turned sixteen.

"Do not fret over us," Tempest told him as they walked out of the alley and into the mean streets of Gotham.

"You are one of us, which means I have to," the Titans' well-being was now his responsibility.

"Unlike Kaldur'ahm, I completed my training. I know I have to leave my emotions out when in battle, or in this case, mission," he said keeping his tone even.

"That isn't healthy," he said flinching as other thoughts tried to emerge. He, standing by his father's grave only with Bruce and Dick, no words said, no tears spilled. "But, we will talk about it later. Follow me and try not to stare," the mission was to find more about the clue Black Bat had given him. It was true his interest had been stirred, but there was a more significant motive. He knew the rest vouched for Black Bat, but he had to find out if she was to be trusted on his own accord. If this turned out to be a trap, he would make sure she didn't get to do the same to the rest of his family.

He hadn't walked the streets of Gotham in weeks. San Francisco was so sunny; there was no space for the shadows to hide in the day. However here, there was always something unknown, something dark, and dangerous. Sometimes it was through the closed windows and dark alleys. Other times it was in the gaze of the person walking in the opposite direction.

"Gotham is darker than I was led to believe," Garth said as they walked.

"And you haven't even seen half of it," he said before telling him of the different characters he would find in the dark alleys of every city and how to recognize them and treat them. The trip was also to help Tempest get used to the type of people they would deal with.

"Everything is so chaotic," Garth said bumping into someone for the twentieth time.

"But there is an order. All these people respond to only one criminal family, the Calabrese," he said navigating through the masses like a fish in water.

"If you know who-" bumped again.

"Is not that simple, and you will notice this in San Francisco too. Before the Calabrese took over, there were over twenty different crime families in this area alone always fighting and engaging in mob wars which claimed the lives of bystanders. They had no qualms about who they sold to, what they sold, and _who_ they sold," and he knew he shouldn't take things personally, but one of the things he hated the most was human trafficking.

"You mean they also-" bumped again, but this time Garth bumped back and exchange a glare with a man. However, the moment he saw Garth's height he kept on going without turning back.

"Because we have taken the _Escorpiones_, Perignon, and the Wild Ones down, we will have to deal with a lot of small gangs trying to replace them. They will do anything to get that power and we will stop them. The difference here is that the woman who took over the Calabrese doesn't want any more innocent lives taken," he said as they reached a street with fewer people.

"A single woman did that?" Garth seemed confused and he didn't blame him. It was an unbelievable feat.

"Ever heard of Catwoman?" he asked him.

"Briefly," he said with a frown. He probably heard from Dick, meaning his perception perhaps was as askew as Nightwing's record with women.

"She was a thief, one of the best but never killed or got innocents involved. She has even helped Batman when someone threatens the neighborhood or the city. Her rules are simple, don't involve the innocent. Have you noticed no one has approached us to try to sell us something? That's because another one of her rules is to not sell to children. Since she stepped in, human trafficking is unheard of and if someone even dares, she will let us handle it. Says she would kill the guys if she got her claws on them," and he didn't doubt it. Selina Kyle grew in those harsh streets and seen some of the worse humankind had to offer. Somehow, this didn't corrupt her, which was to be admired.

"A thief with honor. I would have never imagined it," Tempest said sincerely surprised. Atlanteans were so odd.

"Remind me to get you a copy of Robin Hood," he said before he remembered another person who also grew in these streets. He saw some women called for Garth to join them in a street corner. He kept the Atlantean from going by increasing his pace "things are by no means perfect, but they are better than they have in a long time. She has gone into places we can't and changed things from the root."

"She must be a remarkable woman," he said as they reached a warehouse area.

"Lucky you, we are in our way to meet her," he told Tempest before they started climbing. The lesson wasn't just to work as an example of what they might be facing in San Francisco.

They stored away their civilian clothing and moved from roof to roof until reaching the address that had been written in the paper handed to him by Black Bat. Through the skylights they saw the warehouse was used as a cover up for a night club. The Egyptian Nightclub was the place from which Selina Kyle operated from and everyone knew it, but no one dared attack it. Even Cobblepot recognized the balance Selina had brought all the way on the other side of the city and backed her up.

Batman, of course, was trying to find a way to remove her without bringing back the chaos that used to pollute those streets but for the moment Selina was the lesser of two evils.

"Kaldur'ahm told me of places like this. This is where land dwellers entertain themselves," Garth said as they looked at the dancing bodies below.

"That's one way of putting it," but he wasn't going to explain that. He was going to make Conner take their Atlantean companion sometime soon to a club or something to help him learn to blend in. He had him follow to another skylight. The window was as usual open and below Selina looked at papers with excruciating boredom.

"Come on boys," she said after a moment never looking away from her paper. He and Tempest entered through the window. She was a little baffled at the sight of the Atlantean, "who is he supposed to be?"

"I am called Tempest madam," Garth said with a slight bow.

"A gentleman, how rare," she said not impressed. "So, what brings you here ehm…" he guessed she already heard about the new Robin.

"Red Robin," he told her.

"Well, bats aren't known for their creativity," Selina said with a smirk.

"Tell me what it means," he said showing her the piece of paper.

"That girl," Selina said with a sigh.

"Girl?" was Spoiler a code name? It hadn't been used by someone else, so, why not?

"She is a stupid girl who is way over her head. But shame on me, I could never resist a stray," she said before he spotted a black cat lying on a chair sleeping peacefully.

"Explain," he told her.

"You sure the little one is his son and not you?" she asked him. The fact that he wanted to laugh was a sign that he wasn't Bruce's kid. Actually, the idea of Bruce laughing while wearing the cowl was frightening enough to keep him from laughing.

"He takes after his mother, now tell me who is she," he said in a serious tone, but still managed to get a smile from her.

"Nightwing is so much more fun," she sighed after reflecting who the mother might be. "Spoiler is the daughter of Clue Master," talk about daddy issues.

"The girl disappeared after she revealed his identity on the internet," though no one had believed her until they caught Clue Master trying to torch down a building from where the girl uploaded one of her videos. Even though the fire was stopped, the girl was never found.

"Exactly, the bastard was trying to kill her and yours truly saved her. I took her in, taught her some tricks to take care of herself and now she thinks she has to fight every criminal she comes across because her daddy is a bad guy. Welcome to the club. At the same time she forgets that is a criminal who pays for her clothes, food, and roof," though Selina didn't look resentful at the last part.

"Why would Black Bat give me this?" he asked her worried for the girl. Just knowing some tricks didn't cut it in the streets of Gotham.

"The new Bat? I guess that makes sense. To keep Spoilerfrom getting into trouble, I gave her a little mission. I had a small debt with Cheshire, so I had the girl babysit her daughter while she and Red Arrow went to do whatever weird masked couples do at night. It does make you wonder, right?" no, it didn't; he told his brain repeatedly.

"And Cheshire disappeared," Bart told him to keep it from the League as Artemis had asked.

"Good to hear you keep up today. Now, the girl got into her mind that she has to help the ex-cape and return Cheshire to her daughter. Great kid, but not very smart," but was Red Arrow okay with a rookie helping him search for his once criminal wife? It seemed unlikely.

"Black Bat wants us to help them," he still didn't understand how Black Bat got involved.

"That would be my guess. Don't ask me how, but somehow Spoiler got on the better side of that stone statue that calls herself a Bat though that's an accurate description of most of you minus the complete silence treatment," Selina said as she started to write something on a piece of paper before handing it to him. "The ex-cape keeps me updated of where he takes her, so off you go and make sure she doesn't get killed." She stood up and stretched her back before walking towards the door to leave, "I would invite you a drink, but you guys are on the job."

The address Selina gave them was not far. They went over the buildings in silence until they reached a group of buildings that used to work as a base for gun traffickers. Over the years, many had tried to take over it, but every time Batman stopped them. Even to that day, Bruce Wayne was still trying to buy the place to get rid of it. He explained the history of the site to Tempest.

"It's empty," Garth said after a few minutes of watching.

"It isn't, listen," he said before they heard the echoes of gunshots. When they got to the building where the shots were coming from instead of kicking the door down like Tempest had intended to do, he led him through a window and snuck into the building. The sound of the gunshots was still echoes but louder. "Feel the ground?" he said placing his hand on the floor, "they are below ground."

Batman had made each Robin learn the layout of those buildings to the last air vent. They descended through what used to be a small service elevator. Now, it was just not echoes. They emerged in a room not far from where the fighting was going on. It seemed someone had gone about it the smart way and hid their operations below ground instead of announcing to the world what they were doing out of pride.

"You have dealt with gun fights before, don't get shot," he said to Tempest before rushing into the fight. As he had initially thought, Red Arrow was there, and with him a girl. The two of them were taking cover behind some crates that wouldn't last long and he was behind the enemies. It couldn't get better than this. He threw a flash bomb at the men's feet and shouted, "cover!" The men were shocked and didn't understand what was going on until the flash bomb went off. From that point, it was going to be easy to take them down.

"Some help!" the girl shouted as one of the men caught her and blindly pulled at her arm.

"Why do I even bother?" Red Arrow said exasperated, "do as I do!"

In a fraction of a second he stomped on a guy's foot, jabbed his gut and flipped him over his shoulder before punching his lights out. The girl was shocked but then clumsily and much more slowly tried to do the same, except she almost got herself squashed when she attempted to flip the guy over because she didn't have enough momentum. Tempest stepped in and helped her.

"You must not hesitate for hesitation is like an illness that can get you killed," Tempest said working side by side with her making sure she didn't make the same mistake. She was still clumsy and not fast, but at least she wasn't getting killed.

In the end, they tied up the men together and brought them to the surface. They could hear the police siren in the distance.

"You got a few minutes," he told Red Arrow, who was already dragging one of the men into an alley.

"So, thanks for the help. I am Spoiler," the girl said with an awkward smile.

"We know," he told her crossing his arms. She was clearly not prepared to do this. Her outfit was something Selina and Roy patched up together so she wouldn't get hurt. He could see traces of their styles in it. But, it didn't allow for Spoiler's natural movements. Each suit had to be made with that in mind. It was mostly black and purple kevlar with a purple hood and cape. Capes were good if you knew how to use them, she clearly did not. Her fighting skills were no better than those of a girl her age and she got distracted easily.

"And you are?" she asked shifting uncomfortably as he kept staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"Tempest, it's a pleasure to meet you," the Atlantean said giving him a curious look. Yeah, he knew he was acting like a jerk but he believed this girl shouldn't be here and he wasn't going to make her feel welcome.

"Me too," she said with a smile, "I mean, about meeting you."

"He is Red Robin, the leader of the Titans," Tempest said motioning to him.

"I thought that was Superboy! But you are like my age!" she a little too loud for his liking.

"Skill is what matters here," he told her giving her a pointed look that got her shifting her feet again.

"I am getting there," she said in a small voice.

"Enough bat brat," Red Arrow said returning with the man he interrogated and threw him in the pile with the rest, "you are here to help, or not?"

"Off the League's records," he said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Red Arrow said, "c'mon, Penguin might know something about Ches and don't fall behind."

"I know, I know," Spoiler said with a sigh.

"Wouldn't it be better to leave her out of it?" he said not giving her a glance.

"Hey, I am standing right here!" she shouted crossing her arms.

"I tried; she keeps finding me and getting into trouble. Why else do you think I don't let her out of my sight?" Red Arrow said.

"I. AM. STANDING. RIGHT. HERE!" she screeched at them.

"They are only worried about your wellbeing," Tempest said trying to calm the fuming teen.

"It doesn't sound like that to me," she said through greeted teeth.

"Enough talking, let's get a move on," Red Arrow said before they hurried to a back alley where two motorcycles waited.

"I never have -" Tempest started to say looking at the vehicle with worry.

"You are with me," Red Arrow to told Tempest. "Red Robin won't be able to balance your weight," he bet Red Arrow also wanted to catch up with Tempest. They were sort of friends since they both had been once close to Kaldur.

"I will drive," Spoiler said, but he was already taking the driver's seat. "You don't have many friends, do you?" she told him sitting behind him and wrapping her arms around his torso, "don't get any ideas."

"Not a problem," he said before taking off at all speed.

"Hey!" she shouted in his ear tightening her hold.

He wasn't as good as Nightwing, but no one could say he was bad. He raced between alleyways and mounted roofs which had the girl begging to be left off. She had to see she didn't belong here before she got hurt. They made it to the Penguin's territory in record time.

"Not bad," Red Arrow said as they concealed the motorcycles, "though you should be more mindful of the passenger." Spoiler was bending over a trash can emptying her stomach.

"The Iceberg security is top notch. We won't be able to get inside through the usual means," he knew the man didn't cut on expenses to keep himself safe.

"I can help with that," Tempest said looking at the iceberg with curiosity. Red Arrow had briefed him on the place in the way.

"We will create a distraction, which will push Penguin to his safe room. He never lets anyone inside with him. You will have your chance," he told lastly to Red Arrow.

"I will go with you," Spoiler said to Red Arrow and looking at him as if he was the plague.

"You can't. Penguin is on a whole other level. Stay close to Red Robin and Tempest," Red Arrow told her.

"But-" she started to refuse but one well mastered glare from Roy stopped her, "fine."

"Make sure she doesn't get hurt," Red Arrow said to him before they started.

The Iceberg was true to its name. It was pure ice. It cost a fortune to keep it from melting, but it brought even more money because of its uniqueness. For Atlanteans like Garth, it was another unnecessary extravagance from the surface dwellers. With ease, he made a hole in the top of the place through which Red Arrow could enter.

"These are all the motion sensors of the building. We are activating all of them without being spotted. It will drain the security from the top floors and push Penguin into his safe room," he explained showing them their location through his portable arm computer. "Tempest, cover the ones facing the sea. If things get overwhelming, get out and meet us back where the motorcycles are. Spoiler, you are coming with me."

"What if I don't want to," she said with a pout.

"This is not a game. Red Arrow is counting on us," he told her. He was reminded of his own team back home that learned the lesson the hard way, "he is as human as you and me."

"I… I know," she said looking away from him.

"If we get separated, meet back at the same location," he told her pulling a spare mask from one of his pockets and handing it to her. She was covering the lower part of her face with a scarf, which made him uncomfortable. It was easier to recognize someone through their eyes.

"Understood," she said looking at it unsure of how it was supposed to stay on. With a sigh, he took it back from her and helped her put it on. She fidgeted the whole while.

"Disperse," he said before they took on their own assignments. He led Spoiler through the rooftops until they had a view of the front entrance. It was full of guards who turned away anyone who looked suspicious and without money. He motioned for Spoiler to remain quiet before throwing two low level explosives at where the men stood. It rattled them a little, but no real damage came to them. At once they started calling for back up and looking to find where the attack came from. He knew inside Red Arrow was monitoring their communication and was now on the move.

"That was incredible," she said in short breaths as they targeted another side of the building. He had Spoiler run through the sensors covered entirely by her hood and cape so Penguin wouldn't know who she was as he destroyed any automated weapon that might hurt her. The time arrived for them to leave, and just in time. He spotted Red Arrow use a grappling arrow to get out of the place as Penguin's men tried to shot him down. "I take it back. That was amazing."

They met with Roy and Tempest and wordlessly they got out of the area as fast as possible. Red Arrow led them to one of the bases he had in the city hidden in an alley where he took off his mask and threw it to the side.

"She is back on business," he told them, "she did a small job for Penguin to get money to get started again. She is leaving the city tonight."

"She is still here then," but he knew Roy had already given up.

"She is at the bus station. One of Penguin's men dropped her there less than an hour ago," Red Arrow said trying to control his temper but failing miserably.

"We can still stop her," Tempest said worried for Red Arrow.

"We are not stopping her," Red Arrow announced.

"But Lian-" Spoiler started.

"Will be better off without her," Red Arrow said in a calmer tone, but he could see how much this hurt him. This was exactly what they had feared.

"But that's not fair for her! She shouldn't have to-" Spoiler came from a similar background, of course, she would think of Lian first.

"That's enough. We will go," he told them decidedly.

"Fine," growled Red Arrow, "but it will be a waste of time."

They went to the bus station where without a doubt they spotted Jade sitting on a bench waiting for the very last bus of the night dressed in civilian clothing and with a backpack. She spotted them too and sighed in annoyance. He knew she had expected this; why else take the very last bus? Roy knew it too as he walked towards her. They stayed back and away from hearing range.

"I want to talk to her," Spoiler said before he pulled her back.

"It's not your place," he told her.

"But you- I know what-" she wanted to protect the little girl she had grown so fond of.

"So does Jade, her father is Sportsmaster. She knows her daughter will be better away from her the same way she would have been better if his father had stayed away. Wouldn't have you been better as well away from your dad from the start?" he asked her before she looked at him in shock.

"It will be painful for the girl, but others have come to become great people from the same circumstances," Tempest said probably thinking of Kaldur.

"Jade's sister is working with the League. She will make sure Lian is not without guidance. Red Arrow is a doting father; he will make sure she lacks nothing," of course the little girl would hurt and miss her mother, but eventually she would understand, or at least he hoped she would.

"But her mother…" Spoiler had started before he remembered Spoiler's mom had aided her father in hunting her down. A side note in the news. Spoiler said no more. She finally understood, but that didn't keep her from spilling tears.

Roy returned to them with a small box he received from Jade and wordlessly led them away back to his base. He didn't look angry anymore, just disappointed.

"She misses the life. She is just like her sister," he said humorlessly, "thanks Red Robin, Tempest. Stephany, I will need your help more often to look after Lian."

"Okay," she said with a soft voice.

He left the place as Tempest wanted to have some words in private with Roy. Spoiler followed him outside and leaned against a wall.

"I know you think I am a mess. Batman said it to me once," Spoiler said taking off the mask he gave her.

"You lack training," he said to her.

"And patience, and knowledge. Oh, and let's not forget I am not hero material," that did sound like something Batman would say.

"Then why?" he asked her.

"Because, I want to help people; two years ago when I first ran away from home I got captured by the Reach. Some capes helped us escape and some of them were just kids like me. It made me believe that I could also make a difference. When I made it back to Gotham I decided I would do everything I could to stop my father," she said with a frown before jumping back when he removed the distance between them. He lowered the scarf and pulled back the hood to look at her face.

"I remember you," he said with a frown. She was one of the kids that the Reach didn't get to experiment on because they intervened.

"What?" she said confused.

"I was there," he said stepping back. "I was Robin back then, but I wasn't wearing my uniform. Batgirl and I infiltrated with the abductees to find the base."

"You are that kid?" she said shaking slightly, "the one that made me… this is so embarrassing!" she cried out hiding her face in her hands, "of course I would meet you eventually if I did this, but I never thought- gha!"

He couldn't help himself. A muffled laugh started to escape him.

"Is not funny!" she shouted at him. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

"But it is!" he started laughing out loud and couldn't stop, "since I met you, I have been trying to show you that you shouldn't be doing this, but I was the one that got you… this is so… You know? Batman said the same to me once. I was smart, but I wasn't strong or anything else that is needed for this. I almost got myself killed because I tried to go on my own. Only then did he start training me. It took time. He didn't let me go into the field until a year later and with someone always looking after me. It was so… frustrating," he ended lamely and unable to meet her eyes.

"So you know how it is," she said reaching for him.

"Yes, that's why I am telling you not to do it," he said stepping out of her reach.

"I am not going to stop," she said glaring at him.

"Of course you aren't," he said holding the bridge of his nose, "you can die doing this or worse."

"You think I don't know that?" she said crossing her arms.

"I will look after her," Red Arrow said as he and Tempest stepped out of his small base.

"Me too," they turned to see Barbara rolling her wheelchair towards them calmly. "I have been watching over her since Batman told me to."

"You are…" Stephany looked at Barbara as if she had seen a ghost, "that girl… Batgirl?" If seeing her in a wheelchair didn't keep her away from that life, he didn't know what would. Barbara knew this. Otherwise, she would have hacked his portable computer to communicate.

"You can call me Oracle. I help the League and others with information now," Oracle said, never losing her smile, "I will help you with knowledge."

"I will train you," Red Arrow said, "and expect it to be difficult."

"But you definitely got the hero material going," Oracle said before turning to him "I take Batman shouldn't know you were here."

"He will find out eventually," he said with a shrug. He always did.

When they made it back to San Francisco, he was not happy. In the end, the girl ended up agreeing to all the conditions Oracle and Red Arrow gave her. The shock of seeing the once Batgirl in a wheelchair only lasted a short moment. The girl was either very brave or more stupid than he had first thought. He could sense Garth's curious look as he went over the file detailing the mission where they first met. He confirmed it was her from a picture. She had been the first one to question their involvement when they infiltrated but was fast to understand when she saw Bumble Bee.

"It's a small world," he said to himself calming down. He knew he could count in Oracle and Red Arrow to keep her safe. Then, he heard a chuckle and turned to look at Garth, who was trying very hard not laugh at him. "It's not funny," he said closing the file. It wasn't funny at all. He told himself he would keep an eye on her because she was clumsy, and rash, and had a big mouth. He couldn't help the lopsided smile. Right, who was he kidding?


	15. Tying Knots

_**Tying Knots**_

888 Tie in with Kid Flash's Not so Easy Path 22 888

They were not giving up. Not because he had a secret plan or anything of the sort. They were doing things on the go; besides the fact that he just hated losing. Though they would probably lose a lot of support he didn't want whoever planned this to think they would go down without a fight. Even if at the end no one believed in them, they would still keep going. He was that much of a sore loser. It was the trait Batman warned him the most against and the one that led him to become Robin. His stubbornness has what led him to this point and given the choice he would do it all over again.

He used the Watchtower's satellite to he help Superboy and Oracle hack into Galaxy's network and insert what was really happening in Coachella Valley through the League's satellite. Lori Luthor was hosting the report and bringing to light some of the evidence to clear her and the Titan's name. Superboy in the meanwhile was helping Superman against Metallo and the Leach. It seemed the Light, which was becoming the more likely suspect, wanted the whole League busy and away from them. He wished he could send Superboy to help in Coachella Valley. They couldn't risk him coming in contact with that strange rock. Blue had received his analysis of the rock and now could detect it. Until he made it to the site and cleared it Superboy had to stay far from the place.

He listened to the broadcast as he worked. It seemed Kid Flash had been bringing more young Metas to help him though there were many still missing from the names he had compiled. Still, somehow they were being able to hold their ground against most of the Team and the Titans.

Behind him, Beast Boy and Tigress laid unconscious. He hoped for long enough for Blue to get them the cure for The Unity parasite. He didn't think he could take them on again.

"Hurry kid, we don't have all day, and I am bringing a guest" a message came through, it was Red Arrow. He activated the Zeta Beam from Gotham. Roy came in followed closely by Spoiler who was looking at everything with wide eyes.

"This must be a dream," he heard her say.

"What about Gotham?" he asked Red Arrow who had been helping Batman with the escaped Arkham inmates.

"The Red Hood and his merry band of psychos just got there," he said taking over the main chair, "now go, the rest need your help."

"I am getting others to help us," he said showing him the files of those they were missing.

"You are not serious," Red Arrow said giving one glance at them and knowing quite a few were bad news. Many of them were actually thought to be Team material at some point or another. But be it for lack of maturity, family opposition, or having other interests that might interfere with the mission, they were dismissed as potential members, "some have never trained."

"They are all we have," and he thought the League had been wrong in dismissing their potential.

"Then you won't mind taking her with you," Red Arrow said giving a glance at Spoiler who had been trying to look over his shoulder.

"What?" he and Spoiler said at the same time.

"She has more training than some of them," Red Arrow said as he worked in getting in contact with those young Metas by either sending them a message to their phone or whatever device they had near them.

"But-" he couldn't take Spoiler with him, she could barely fight.

"You know powers aren't everything," Red Arrow said daring him to go against his own words.

"Fine," he said feeling he would regret his decision. Spoiler in the other hand looked ready to explode with excitement.

"Alright, let's pull these brats in," Red Arrow said with a smirk before he started transporting the first of them into the Watchtower.

"Follow me, and don't say anything," he told Spoiler before they went to the Zeta Beams.

The first one to arrive was Stargirl, who was a member of the Justice Society of America who worked directly under the orders of the US government. She also happened to be the youngest of the lot at the age of seventeen. She was more of an apprentice on the job than an active crusader. Most of the time, she had to be saved by the other members when she went overboard with her abilities.

"Ready to have a real hero clean your mess?" Stargirl said standing with a hand on her hip and the other holding her Cosmic Staff.

"Are you sure you don't want me to say anything?" Spoiler asked him before he gave her a look, "fine."

"You will listen to my instructions while on the field; if you disobey me, I will send you home no matter the circumstances," he told Stargirl who then started at him an open mouth.

"What? Who the hell do you think you-" Stargirl started to say as the Zeta Beam activated again and someone new was pulled in.

"He is Red Robin, or haven't you been watching the news?" Thunder; Anissa Pierce, the daughter of Black Lighting said stepping in. She had all the makings to be a great hero like her father, the issue was that her father didn't want her anywhere near their line of work and she lacked experience. "Let's skip introductions and get going before my dad realizes I am here," she said looking around waiting for her father to appear at any moment.

"The rest are coming in," he told her.

The Zeta Beam chose that moment activate again and bring someone new to their impromptu team.

"Man, I must be going mad," Cisco said stepping in his street clothes and looking dizzy.

"Who the heck are you supposed to be?" Stargirl said scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"I am… Cisco?" he said looking at him and back at her unsure of what to do with her breaching his personal space.

"What type of code name is that?" she asked with a frown before Spoiler rolled her eyes.

"He is here to help his friends Courtney, leave him alone," he told the blond who then did a one-eighty and glared at him. Lightning and Spoiler started to snicker.

"How did you- not cool," she said between stutters as she started to blush.

The next member arrived in the form of someone who had been rejected over and over again when asking to join the Team. This didn't keep the kid from trying, and that was something impressive in his book.

"Kid Devil is in the house!" the kid jumped through the Zeta Beam and landed in a crouch.

"_Oh, Dios!"_ Cisco said stepping back in shock of the kid's appearance. He didn't blame him. Kid Devil looked just as he his code name. Red skin, horns, pointed tail and long white hair never failed to make an impression on whoever met him for the first time.

"Why him?" Stargirl said glaring at him. Blue Devil, Kid's Devil mentor was part of the Justice Society of America, of course, they would know each other.

"Miss me beautiful?" Kid Devil said smirking at the flustered Stargirl as he got a little too close to her.

"Not one bit," she said before pushing him back. "All of these guys are rookies."

"Like you are any better," Thunder said crossing her arms.

"I am, I am actually part of a team," Stargirl said pointing her Cosmic Staff at lighting.

"This has to be a joke," a young woman with platinum skin and hair said walking up to them. It was no brainer to realize she was involved with Captain Atom because she carried the same red insignia on her black tank top. He had heard of her because of Captain Atom's constant complain of her reluctance to work with others.

"Bombshell, your assistance is appreciated," he told her wondering why Kid Flash couldn't get this lot first instead.

"How come she gets the red carpet?" Stargirl muttered.

"Red Robin, do you really expect me to work with this lot of misfits?" Bombshell said crossing her arms and giving them a diminishing look. Cisco stepped back though he was the most normal looking of the lot. Stargirl gave Bombshell a haughty look and started looking over her Cosmic Staff. Thunder didn't look bothered at all at the insult. Others were not that mature.

"Because you are just so charming," Spoiler said glaring at Bombshell.

"Spoiler," he was surprised she had lasted this long without saying anything.

"Sorry," she said but didn't look sorry at all.

"You can leave now," he told Bombshell.

"What?" the young woman said with wide eyes.

"If you won't cooperate, I won't force you," he said to her. The thing with people like Bombshell was that they didn't take rejection too well.

"You-you just can't-" Bombshell said looking at those around her.

"For this to work we have to be here willingly and remember that we are doing this to help not for self-gratification," he told her before quite a few looked embarrassed.

"Fine, I will stay," Bombshell said unable to meet his eyes.

The Zeta Beam started to activate.

"The last one is arriving," Red Arrow announced through the communication system; a moment later a tall figure stepped out; probably over seven feet. He had heard of Steel through Superboy and knew of Steel's genius niece Natasha Irons and how she assisted Steel. Still, he couldn't believe what his eyes saw.

"Ehm, hi. Am I late?" a young voice said from the tall and beautiful silver metal armor revealing that Natasha was probably around his age. She held her hammer awkwardly as she looked at those around her.

"Natasha, welcome," he told her trying to not stare. Be it a battle or a fashion run, he bet that armor would fit just fine in either one; it was a piece of art in more than one sense. "Now, we have to make this fast, the rest are waiting for us."

"We got it mostly from the broadcast," Bombshell said.

"You will listen," he said sternly, "the members of the Team are all experienced and the Titans who have no experience are extremely strong. You will work in pairs and you will not stop looking after your partner until this is over. Cisco and Kid Devil you two will cover those who are cured. You are not to engage in any other fights. Thunder and Bombshell you are sticking to Blue and Kid Flash and do what they ask you. Stargirl and Natasha, you will help Superboy with Wonder Girl and Supergirl. Spoiler, you are staying close to me."

After being transported from the Zeta Beam in Los Angeles to the site with the help of Tracy Thirteen, he made sure to take note in the style of every one of their possible candidates.

Kid Devil was fast to think on the spot, and with his enhanced speed had little to no trouble outmaneuvering his opponents, but he had a tendency to toy with his enemy which got him easily into trouble. He saw him use some of his abilities such as heating up his skin and spitting fire, but he seemed to have trouble controlling them and tried not to use them out of fear. The kid was hiding his insecurities by trying to show he didn't care.

Cisco meanwhile was all thought and no instinct. A thinker was appreciated but if they couldn't react in a stressful situation they became a burden. However, his control kept him from misusing his powers. But he didn't use them to their full potential. He knew the real extent of his powers because Blue and Kid Flash had seen it when he helped them fight La Dama. What he was using now to blast others back was not even a tenth of what he could really do.

Thunder had been born with her powers had clearly practiced using them behind her father's back. They were a natural extension of her. With her ability to increase her density she had no trouble pushing back big hitters like Red Star, and Aqualad. Plus, her ability to create shockwaves when she stomped made her a great fighter either long or short range. However, a lifetime of wanting to be a hero made her too reckless. She didn't put enough thought into what she was doing which made Kid Flash help her out of tight situations more than once.

Bombshell had clearly been trained by the military. She had probably volunteered like Captain Atom to recreate the effects that gave them their abilities. Her manipulation of flight was flawless, but the energy control could use some work. She seemed to prefer to hit her targets with her bare hands. He saw an anger management issue miles away with her. She had trouble following his orders. Blue Beetle had to remind her more than once to keep her eyes on Thunder.

Stargirl made him want to ask the Justice Society of America what they were thinking letting her work with them on the field in the open. She clearly lacked discipline and training. After getting one hit from Wonder Girl, she had charged like a bull only to be knocked back by Supergirl. She wanted to be good without having to do the work and when confronted with someone stronger than her she allowed her temper to get the best of her. He could see she wanted to help, but she also needed to grow up.

Natasha Irons was probably the best of the lot. She knew exactly how to make full use of her armor, was a strategist, and was not afraid to act. A genius in her own right she was fast to communicate with Superboy so they could bring Wonder Girl down to be cured and without hurting her too badly. He was sure Cassy would appreciate it when she woke up. However, he knew her family, just like Thunder's didn't want her doing this. He wondered what it would take to change their minds.

Spoiler… she was lucky she didn't get killed the first five minutes. She ran from one fight to another without a plan until Superboy saved her from getting pummeled by one of Bunker's giant brick constructs. From that point, she followed him diligently. She had ways to go, more than anyone else in that fight. But, she kept her head up and now that she listened to him she showed she was somewhat capable.

After all the infected were cured he sent them home with thanks. He saw the disappointment in most of their faces. Even those who wouldn't admit it had enjoyed working with them. He would let them fret for a while until they got things completed in San Francisco and then he would start bringing them in one by one. They all had great talent, but also issues to work on and taking them all at once would not work. He realized they made a mistake taking in already as many members as they had and would have to work around it.

888

After checking on their friends at the Watchtower, he got a message from Major Jackson. He didn't need to hear her voice to know she was not happy. Up until that point they had been doing great in San Francisco but after what happened, people had doubts about letting them stay. He really didn't want to work from the shadows all the time. Though they would go on with the missions even if people didn't trust them, it would be a lot easier if they did.

"What were you thinking?!" Major Jackson said rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"We said we would do things differently, and it went without saying that it would not be easy," but getting mind controlled was definitely something he had not expected.

"Dammit kid, I got most of the council breathing down my neck demanding to stop you from building your tower," she said showing him the signatures from citizens who didn't want them in their city. There weren't enough yet, but it was frightening how many had been gathered in a few hours.

"Give us one day," he told her as a plan started forming.

"No matter what you do kid they will still rule it out," she said pointing at the form.

"We will get their approval, just give us one day," he wasn't really sure, but he needed the time.

"Fine, but you better work fast," she said after taking a deep breath.

The following morning the Titans and the Team gathered in Coachella Valley and helped rebuild the part of a town they had damaged. He made sure to have Lori cover the event and also have every news station available come to watch.

"We want to apologize for any distress we might have caused," he said trying to sound as sincere as possible. They could have just paid to get town fixed, but they had to get people to like them again which meant facing the world openly.

Later, he admitted to himself that he hadn't minded it that much. With the leftover material, they had brought they actually built a small playground in one of the nearby parks. Afterward, the Titans headed to where their tower would be and surprisingly the Team joined them too. Before the city could decide if it was still a good idea to let them stay they started building their base. The initial plan would have taken some months, but now they had to take at the most two weeks to make an impression.

As the days passed many of those who had aided them in the fight of Coachella Valley went to help them. He was reminded again that besides powers most of them had amazing talents. Natasha Irons and Celine Patterson were engineering geniuses who had the tower running in endless clean energy. Kyle Rayner turned what would have been a frigid base into a welcoming place with varying types of décor depending on where you were stepping in the base. Between Jaime, Bart, and Victor Stone (who left Star Labs because they wouldn't help them when they were trying to find a cure) had their security system running covering every possible potential form of attack or infiltration even including magical ones. Zachary Zatara and Tracy Thirteen placed guards around their base against the mystical.

One late night when most had already gone home he sat with Blue, and Kid Flash in what would become their briefing room. For the time being the ceiling was open and the wiring incomplete.

"Make way!" they heard Superboy shout before they all looked up and saw something that resembled a ship on his hands.

"What is that thing?" Kid Flash asked hurrying to where Superboy landed.

"Superman said I could keep her," Superboy said placing the immense sphere down on their makeshift table

"You got another pet? Why I am not surprised?" he said approaching with more caution. He could tell right away the machine was of alien origin.

"It's a pocket dimension with an artificial intelligence that controls it. It was in Superman's place," Blue told him.

"Her name Paradise, she agreed to help us with our training," Superboy explained, "she adjusted her programming to help us create training scenarios in her dimension. Those who still don't have full control of their abilities won't have to worry about holding back."

"That's a joke, isn't it?" Kid Flash asked looking at the alien machine with wide eyes.

"No, it's the truth," Superboy said with a smirk.

He turned to look at Blue who shrugged, "don't look at me. I am the one wearing the alien armor, and I have trouble believing it."

"Hello there Paradise, you and I are going to best of buds," Kid Flash said hugging the machine who then zapped him making him jump back, "touchy."

"Blue, I am going to need your help installing her," Superboy said picking the machine again and flying towards what would be their training facilities.

"Got it," Blue looked exhausted but he didn't protest.

"I bet the League doesn't have one of those," Kid Flash before he picked his scanner and walked with him out of the room.

"How is the Teletransportation system going?" he asked as they checked for the last time that night the installations.

"Besides some of the Leaguers questioning its safety, everything looks crash. We ran some tests and found that we can only get people transported in the open without really putting them at risk," Kid Flash said with a frown.

"You don't seem too happy about it," he said wondering what his friend wasn't telling him.

"I am!" he burst out before looking away from him, "I just… well, with all that has been going on I haven't had the chance to tell you. Carole knows."

"Knows what?" he really hoped he wouldn't say what he was about to say.

"She figured it out all by herself, but she choose not to say anything because she didn't want me to push her away, but then an asshole tried to hurt her because she was dating me and-"

"You have only known her for a few days," he said starting to get a headache. He told Kid Flash to throw her off his trace, not admit anything.

"But she has been watching me for a lot longer! And- and not in the creepy kind of way. She really has no interest on telling anyone," Kid Flash said starting to run a hand through his hair, something he did when he was frustrated.

"And what about when you break up?" they were only sixteen, could they really expect that to last more than a few months?

"We are not breaking up," Bart said stubbornly.

"Bart, you went to her because Kiran rejected you," which wasn't fair for the girl and if she got wind of this they didn't know what she would do.

"I didn't. I really do like her. She gets me," Bart couldn't look at him. "And she said she wanted to be with me for as long as possible."

"Have you told her everything?" he knew his friend was lying to himself. He was just being selfish and he didn't blame him. The place where he came from and the life he had led until that point left very little space for understanding.

"Not… not yet," Bart admitted.

"I don't care if you end up hating me for this, but at the first sign I see of her putting you and your family's safety at risk I am asking Miss Martian to make her forget about ever taking notice of you," he wasn't going to hide to Bart what the consequences would be if he decided to go on with this.

"I… you can't-" the speedster shook him by the shoulders with wide eyes.

"And you can't trust others so easily Bart," he told his friend.

"You don't think I already know that!" Bart shouted his face turning red before he realized what he did. He released him and then started running his hand through his hair again. "Listen, she won't do something like that. And- and if we do break up in the future I will make sure it is in good terms," he seemed calmer now but he could see the conflict in his eyes. There was something else he wasn't telling, but he would let it go for the meantime.

"You have been working too much. You should head home," he said taking the scanner from his friend. He was dismissing him and it clearly pained his friend but if they needed to let the matter rest for now.

"Alright, I get it," he said before a lopsided smile appeared on his face, "I guess we made the right choice making you our leader."

Did they? He wondered as he finished the scans on his own.

888

"-Coachella Valley and their inhabitants along with the assistance of other groups who recognize the effort our heroes make have renamed this park in the memories of those who have fallen protecting us. Now known as 'Heroes Park' this remodeled park contains the statues of all the heroes the League released as lost in action just a few days ago."

He sat in shock with the rest as they took a lunch break to watch the report of the Coachella Valley Park, now the Heroes Park, by Lois Lane.

"I guess we didn't leave the League much choice about revealing what actually happened," Superboy said never looking away from the report.

The League hadn't given them much lip about it since it seemed the public had taken it quite well. This was thanks to the independent blog Lori Luthor and Conner had started to help the public understand more about those they had lost. They engaged in debates and had even invited some capes to talk. One had already accepted, but Conner wouldn't tell them who.

"Among the status we have found heroes that were not known to us before and others which we recognize all too well," Lois Lane said standing in front of the statue of the first Kid Flash and next to it was a young woman who seemed very familiar. "With us is now the Queen Perdita of Vlatava, one of the major donors to this project."

"She has grown," Superboy said before most turned to look at him, "Kid Flash saved her life. He ran from one side of the country to the other carrying her heart transplant when she was only ten years old."

"That explains a lot," Kyle said as he sketched the seventeen-year-old queen on a notebook.

"Kid Flash saved my life many years ago," the young queen went straight to the point "I am happy to know others recognize his good deeds just as me even if he is gone now. I hope this park inspires others like Kid Flash inspired me to do all I can for my country and others. This is a message to our current Kid Flash," she said looking at the camera, "just as you are proud to use his name, I am sure he would be proud of you honoring his memory. Keep up the good work."

He watched Bart's expression shift from sadness to regret. His friend was troubled by more than just his girlfriend knowing his identity. It wasn't the pressure of being Kid Flash; he had already gone through that the first few months. This was something else to do with Wally.

"Excuse me," Artemis said leaving the room, closely followed by Kaldur. He saw Nightwing stopping Bart from going after them.

"Bart, they-" Nightwing started to say.

"It's him, isn't?" understanding dawned in his eyes before he sat back down and continued to watch the interview with Queen Perdita.

888 After Kid Flash's Not so Easy Path 22 888

It was a warm morning and he was actually starting to enjoy the weather of San Francisco. The ocean breeze was different than Gotham's, cleaner and more refreshing. The window was open and he was tempted to just look outside and watch the world move on.

"It seems you have changed the rules of the game," the major told him as he sat across from her. "We are expecting a boom in the city growth and tourism had doubled at least just to get a look of your tower. I still don't believe you did it."

"We all did," he said with a confident smile though he also had no idea how they did it. He believed it had a lot to do with the major's help and keeping the council from opposing them until they showed the benefits they could bring to the city. All the profits from the merchandise the city created of them went to public projects to the benefit of the community. He wasn't ashamed to put their name on a shirt if it meant they could improve the lives of those less fortunate, "tonight we are hosting a celebration for the tower's inauguration."

"I trust you will keep them under check," the major said looking skeptical about the whole idea; a base where mostly young adults lived and celebrating at that? From what Red Robin had told her some of them were adults legally which should give her peace of mind, but in the other hand, that also made them consenting adults.

"The leaders of the Team, Blue Beetle and I will make sure they don't get into unnecessary trouble," he told her showing projections of said leaders; Nightwing, Aqualad, and Miss Martian.

It was easier said than done. They were talking the Titans, the Team and all of those who helped them through the crisis. However, as the time got closer he realized they had more help than he imagined.

Miss Martian was there early to help them with the preparations. Between her and Jaime he doubted they would run out of food. Cisco with the help of his old friends from the juvenile correction; Bunker, Mike, and the twins David and Daniel they got the sound going. As it turned out between Cisco and Mike they didn't have to worry about Beast Boy trying to take over as DJ. Beast Boy, Kara, Celine, Kiran, and Garth were doing the decorations around the tower.

"But we-" Kyle started.

"I am going to trust you with more responsibilities from now on. Unless, you don't think you can help chaperone a simple party," he told Kyle, Leonid, and Paco as he showed them each area they would be looking after.

"I am in," Paco who had been on the receiving end of Jaime's silent treatment said without pause.

"I guess I am too," Kyle said as understanding dawned on him. He wasn't looking to punish them but teach them to be responsible by trusting them with doing more starting by looking after others.

"What do you want us to do?" Leonid asked before he went over their tasks.

The three of them through the circumstances they had lived were used to doing things their own way and with little care for responsibility or consequences.

Leonid's father was an archeologist who was never around while Leonid's mother was a socialite who had little interest on her son unless he was present in one of her parties, which Leonid lost interest on a long time ago. The young man was brilliant but with no one to guide him, especially when his powers surfaced, he had taken into exploring the world until he got captured by La Dama.

Kyle's father abandoned him and his mother when he was very young. His mother died a few years later of an illness they had no income to help her with. The woman had encouraged her son's artistic skills to the very end but by the time Kyle had to mature no one was there for him. He was a talented artist, but if he didn't have interest on something, it was very hard for him to complete.

Paco, like Kyle, had no father figure but a very caring mother. His life would have probably gone alright if La Dama hadn't tried to get him killed. For five years the he had to live in hiding and part of a gang of Metahumans known as the Posse. All of them around the same age as him and with no other objective but to survive and take La Dama down. He didn't have an idea of how the real world worked.

He knew they would need the help of a specialist like Black Canary to be truly able to help them. For now, he gave them the role of the adults in a theoretical teenage party. They were to keep alcohol or other substances from getting through or being used. They were to break fights or arguments that got too heated. They also had to report to him if they noticed anything strange going on.

"We just got frisked at the entrance by Leonid," Miguel said as him and Gabe, his partner, returned from a quick run to town to bring back ingredients M'gann and Jaime had been missing.

"Not that we mind, but what was that about?" Gabe said with a teasing smile towards Miguel.

"Oh, is like that," Miguel said playfully to Gabe as they started making their way to the elevator.

He explained to them the role Thorax, Lantern, and Red Star would have for the evening to which the young couple found very interesting.

"That's cool, you need our help too?" Miguel asked as they made it to their destination.

"Maybe if they get restless," he told them as they reached the kitchen.

"Could I get the recipe for those," Gabe said spotting the cream puffs before he, M'gann and Jaime started talking pastries.

It wasn't long before the rest started to arrive. One of the League's ships landed at the top of their tower since the Bioship couldn't carry all of them.

"Hey, where is your party hat?" Nightwing said descending first followed by most of the team "and smiling wouldn't hurt."

"Welcome to the Titan Tower," he said as Superboy landed behind him and was soon joined by Kid Flash.

"Hey, Black Bat, ready to patrol?" Kid Flash said before the young woman stepped forwards. "Have fun, see you guys later," Kid Flash said before he left. Superboy took Black Bat's hand before he flew away with her. They would be taking turns patrolling the city that night.

"Alright people, line up," Lantern and Thorax appeared wearing construct security caps.

"What is going on?" Kaldur asked him as Lantern created a construct of a metal detector.

"I will explain later, just go along for now," he told Nightwing and Aqualad trying not to laugh. He couldn't say they couldn't take something seriously anymore.

"The usage of weapons inside the tower is explicitly prohibited unless a threat is detected. No powers can be used to damage the facilities," Thorax said as each one of them passed through the detector until it beeped when Tigress passed through.

"What are you going to do if we do? Write us a ticket?" Tigress said trying hard not to laugh as she dared Thorax and Lantern with a glance alone to search her.

"That's a super ticket to you," Lantern said before he created a metal detecting bar construct to check her without really touching her and likely getting a concussion out of it. "Good to go, ma'am," the Lantern said with a military salute.

"Ma'am?" Tigress said startled. She was only twenty-two years old.

"Please don't hold the line ma'am," Thorax said before he motioned to the next one to pass.

"I ought to-" Tigress reached for her bow.

"Sooo! How long do you plan to stay?" Lantern said leaning on a constructed desk and giving Wonder Girl a smile that was more than just friendly.

"Eh?" Wonder Girl said taken back before she glanced at him.

"Hey man, back off," Empress said not wearing her scarlet mask or golden helmet. Her skin was dark and her eyes were a dark shade of purple. She was extremely tall for a teenager and had long dark hair held in a ponytail. But there was something otherworldly about her he couldn't describe. He knew of Empress's father, but he wondered about the mother.

"Young lady, please wait your turn," Thorax said before Wonder Girl moved with the rest, "now, we can start talking."

"And I get called ma'am," Tigress said before Aqualad laughed and got a playful shoved by the blond. She marched up to Thorax and whispered on his ear, "You know she is underage and her father is a federal agent with a huge alien hunting gun."

"Alright people, let's get a move on," Thorax said jumping back from Empress.

"Dude! She is a ghost!" Lantern shouted when Secret went through them.

"You got something against ghosts?" The Ray said passing them before he was stopped by a constructed robot hand, "Oh c'mon!"

888

"I guess that's a good place to start," Nightwing said once he explained what was going on with Lantern, Red Star, and Thorax. "It makes me wonder if you need us at all."

"You are not getting off that easily," he said as they watched their teams start wonder through the base.

"I think I am going to be sick," they turned to see Blue Beetle bring Tye and Asami through a riff in the Bleed.

"It… it wasn't so bad," Asami said leaning against a wall.

"We are taking the Bug next time," Tye said to Jaime.

"Dude!" Thorax said when he spotted his old friend.

"Paco!" Tye shouted just as happy.

"Dude the secret identity thing!"

"You look happy," Nightwing said leaning on the kitchen counter before picking at some of the food.

"Why shouldn't I be?" he said sitting on a stool. They had accomplished so much already and things were looking good for the future too.

Nightwing shrugged before wondering off. Tracy, Zatanna, and Zachary transported the rest of their missing guests. Where there had been animosity before, now there were the beginnings of partnerships. Stargirl no longer treated Kid Devil like a pest. Bombshell found Kaldur an interesting person to talk to. Spoiler had no trouble making friends with everyone she came across, especially M'gann and Beast Boy when she recognized right away she was using the appearance from the old show Hello, Megan! Zachary Zatara was having a good time showing off some his tricks. Starlight found a good friend in Thunder as they toured the completed tower on their own.

"Everything is good in the gardens," Red Star reported from his post.

"Also in the game room," Thorax said.

"The galleria is fine too!" shouted Lantern over the music being played making all of them cringe.

In the living room, most of the older members of every team stuck around. Nightwing shamelessly flirted with Zatanna, no surprise there. Bombshell seemed to be doing the same with Kaldur, but the Atlantean masterfully directed her attention to The Ray who was more than happy for the attention. Tigress was trying not to laugh at the whole ordeal, not being the jealous or insecure kind. Guardian and Bumble Bee chatted over coffee with Bunker and Gabe.

"Red, what are you doing there on your own, come join us!" Nightwing called him over.

"We have a problem," Lantern announced as he was about to join them.

"What is it?" he asked with a frown.

"Lagoon Boy is telling Supergirl-" Lantern was saying.

"Handle it," he knew Lagoon Boy resented Supergirl because of what happened a few weeks ago with H'El.

"But-" Lantern started.

"Do you really like having a kid telling you what to do?" he said not caring if he sounded cold. Kyle was seven years older than him, and he had to realize he had to be responsible on his own.

"Jerk," the Lantern said before the communicator went off.

"Red?" Nightwing asked having clearly heard the whole thing.

"I will be back," he told them before marching towards the gallery. He heard Kaldur follow close behind him.

When he got to the Gallery he found the dance floor empty for the exception of Kyle holding Lagoon Boy in the construct of a fish bowl and Supergirl looking away from the scene ashamed.

"You made a mistake, we all do," he saw Kyle tell her, "but we can't let that stop us or let that be used for others to push us around."

"I know, but he is-" she just couldn't meet anyone's eyes. He had heard from Superboy that she still felt very guilty for the damage H'El caused when he was controlling her.

"He has no right to tell you those things," Kyle said reaching for her.

"I think I should go," she said starting to walk towards the door.

"No, you stay. I will take La'gaan back to the Watchtower," Kaldur said stepping up.

"What? But she is the one who-" La'gaan started to protest.

"That's enough," Kaldur said before La'gaan stopped speaking and started muttering to himself. "Lantern, if you would?"

"Of-of course," Kyle said before letting La'gaan go.

"Kyle, take her somewhere where she can be alone," he told the Lantern who nodded and led Kara to one of the balconies to have some fresh air.

"Something like this was bound to happen," Blue said after he helped them get to the nearest Zeta Beam. "Kyle handled it well. Supergirl took Kid Flash's place patrolling and he went with her to make sure she didn't do something rash."

"I don't get those guys. Sometimes they act worse than kids and then they do things like this," he said looking in the direction of Thorax who had taken over watching the galleria.

"Just be patient with them. They will get there," Blue told him before they spotted Kid Devil and Kid Flash carrying a large box inside.

"What is that?" he asked stopping them on their track.

"This is a gift I got while in patrol and before you question it any further I already took it apart and put it back together. Completely harmless," Kid Flash said, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"And what is it?" he asked really curious.

"You will see," Bart said before throwing his arms to the air, "to the dance floor!"

"Dude!" Kid Devil shouted being left to carry the heavy box on his own.

888

As Kid Flash unpacked it uncharacteristically slow those in the dance floor stared in wonder at the strange behavior of the teen. When he was done quite a few were smiling while others like Blue looked like they would prefer to be anywhere else.

"Hey Blue, it got your name on it," Tye said to his childhood friend. He had heard Blue but also knew he suffered from stage fright.

"Not funny," Blue said looking at the machine with worry.

"What in the world is that?" Superboy asked as he and Black Bat arrived after their turn patrolling the city.

"It's a karaoke machine," Thorax said with a matching mischievous smile to Kid Flash.

"I think I will go patrolling now," Blue said stepping back.

"Tigress and Solstice already took over," Superboy said placing a hand on his shoulder and keeping him from escaping.

"Okay, I going to check on the rest," he said with a nervous smile.

"No need to worry Blue, everyone is coming here now," Kid Flash said as they saw everyone starting to arrive curious about why they were called.

"I hate you," Blue told Kid Flash who only smiled wider.

"Now Blue, no need for that. We are drawing numbers!" Kid Flash said already cutting and drawing the numbers. Everyone started to laugh for the exception of Blue.

"I still hate you," he told Kid Flash before the helmet of The Ray appeared before him filled with the small papers.

"Hey!" the red head shouted realizing his helmet was gone. Everyone picked a number.

"Oh look, you got number one," Kid Flash said picking at Blue's paper.

"Who would have thought?" Thorax said failing terribly not to laugh at his friend.

"Help, someone," he looked around.

"Sorry Blue, you are on your own," Superboy said showing him a paper that said 'not qualified to sing'

"Can I pick the song at least?" he asked before Thorax beat him to the machine.

"No," the other beetle laughed evilly as he went through the songs available.

"Thorax, please," Blue tried to reach him before the song started.

"There," Thorax said in triumph before a fast tune started.

"Oh, I know that song!" Miguel said with a smile. Blue was ready to hand him the microphone Kid Flash pushed to his hand a moment ago.

"Wait your turn love," Gabe said pulling Miguel back.

"Aww," Miguel said before giving Blue an apologetic look.

"Just so all of you know, I will have my revenge," Blue said taking a deep breath.

888

That was a mess, he thought as the Titans started cleaning up the tower the next day.

"Where is Blue?" he asked Kyle who was helping to wash the dishes while Kara helped dry them.

"I think he is still in his room. Paco went to wake him up and then came back saying no one should try to go in," Kyle said throwing a confused look at Paco.

He wondered if Jaime was still upset about the previous night. He wouldn't blame him if he was.

"I will go wake him up," Celine said bringing another bag full of trash, "or we are going to have to eat whatever Paco is trying to make."

"Hey, I am a great cook!" Paco said trying to remove a pancake that got stuck to the ceiling.

"That is burned," he said getting closer to where he was 'cooking' and found a pile of burned pancakes.

"So?" Paco asked.

"I will get Blue," Celine said. She returned a few minutes later blushing. "Move aside," she told Paco before she took over making breakfast though she looked as lost as Paco.

"Told you," Paco said laughing.

He was ready to go and check on Jaime before Celine shook her head no at him with an even deeper blush, "just no."

"What if we just get take out," Leonid said entering the kitchen with Garth yawning and dragging another bag with trash.

He looked at where Celine was trying to work with whatever Paco had tried to make, "very well." He had a feeling this was going to become the norm for them.

"I am on it," Bart said after trying to bite one of Paco's pancakes. They were almost done with the cleaning and most of them were just waiting for Bart to return with their breakfast.

"I thought we had a rule about not letting outsiders stay overnight," Conner said flying in to get the last trash bags to their own dumpster by the peer.

"Who stayed?" Kiran asked who had been cleaning the green area around the tower.

"Paco," he turned to the young man who was trying to sneak away.

"I couldn't just barge in and tell them to stop! Jaime would have blasted my face off!" Paco said in his defense.

"I second that," Celine said raising her hand, "you don't even need to get to the door to know what is going on."

"Alright," he said trying to think of the best way to handle the situation, "after breakfast, we are all having a talk."

Bart returned with their breakfast, but no one seemed to have an appetite. They all kept wondering who was with Jaime. He wondered briefly if this was how High School was like.

"Would you all stop thinking about that?" Conner snapped at them after a few minutes.

"Thinking about what?" Jaime asked entering.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Bart said a little too fast before he turned on the news.

Jaime gave him a confused look before telling him they were all going to talk after breakfast. He understood right away before he noticed most of the room was looking at him and not the news.

"Guys look!" Bart shouted before they all saw Lex Luthor about to make an announcement.

"The day has arrived for our guardians to stand in the light, in the open with real honor and honesty. Today, it's time for the world to learn about Lex Corp's latest accomplishment which will benefit the whole world and bring it to a new age of justice. Today, I bring to you, real heroes! Not children, not men or women with agendas of their own. Simply men and women who want to help the world," Luthor said as the curtain behind him started to be lifted very slowly.

"What the hell," he heard Conner say.

"The world will remember this day as the day real heroes appeared before us, without secrets and trained by professionals, not amateurs! Today, I bring you the next step in human evolution," Luthor said while the curtain was still being lifted slowly.

"Get on with it already," Leonid said crossing his arms. It was unanimous now that the Titans didn't like Lex Luthor; after all, it was his lab that made the Red Kryptonite, which according to him got stolen on the same day.

"Today, I bring you Infinity Inc." Lex Luthor said before the lifting curtains actually fell down revealing a group of men and women wearing uniforms.


	16. Everyone Can Be a Hero

_**Everyone Can Be a Hero**_

"There is a hero inside every one of us. Some of us are already heroes without even realizing it. The brave men and women who patrol our cities and risk their lives day to day, the doctors who heal our wounded, men and women like you who follow the rules and help maintain order; you are all heroes," Luthor said before the crowd around he started to cheer and shout their agreement.

"But, what if I told you, you could do even more. Things you never imagined possible for a human being to do. Wouldn't you want to do it? Wouldn't you want to be part of a new dawn for humanity? Wouldn't you like to join Infinity Inc.?" Luthor asked before the image froze and then zoomed out.

"And that's not all folks. As of now there are five members of Infinity Inc. and guess what. We know exactly who they are!" Godfrey said loudly before showing them images of each one of the members of Infinity Inc.

There was Nuklon, a man with herculean strength; real name Gerome McKenna before a policeman. Trajectory a woman who could run faster than the eye could see; real name Eliza Harmon and she used to help at a runaway shelter, Skyman a man that could fly at unbelievable speeds; real name Jacob Colby before an airline pilot, Amazing Man who could absorb the properties of elements around him; real name Erik Storn a pharmaceutical scientist, and Vanilla a woman with amazing agility and hand to hand fighting skills; real name Margaret Grooves, she used to be a nurse.

"These brave men and women have all gone through rigorous training. They trust us telling us who they really are. They are the future of humanity, not those who hide in the shadows wearing masks and sending the young to- well, you know who I am talking about," Godfrey said before the TV was turned off.

"Stupid," Damian said crossing his arms and glaring at him, "I want a mission."

"Then you should have stayed in Gotham, things are calm here," he said as he went over the last patrol reports.

"Lie to me again Drake and I will make those your last words," Damian said glaring at him from the sofa.

"There is no trace to follow," he said still working. He needed to keep Solstice and Kid Flash at different shifts. This was what he had feared when they started showing interest for each other.

"You are a shame to-" Damian started to say.

"Heard it before," he said getting up. He was seriously rethinking his deal with Bruce about looking after the imp.

888

"She was this close to slicing me in half!" Red Star said as Blue cleaned the claw-like wounds on his chest, "ouch!"

"Stay still," Blue said with a hard stare, "Mistress was using Fury as a decoy to get the shipment out. Supergirl intercepted the truck, but Mistress was gone and the driver was dead. His neck was snapped."

"And you say that Fury broke through the foundations of the building," he said looking at images of the building which had collapsed, but no one else was injured. Between Supergirl and Red Star they had kept the building from collapsing until Blue got everyone out of the building.

"They always seem desperate to get away even at the risk of their own lives or the lives of others," Supergirl said tiredly. It wasn't the first time these Metas left bodies behind.

"Yes, same pattern," he said knowing it was far from over.

888

A ball of fire almost hit him on the face as he ducked down. What he would give to have Tempest with him to deal with that pyromaniac. He dashed behind a group of desks and checked on the position of the rest of his team.

"Can I blast her now?" Paco asked him scurrying until he was next to him. The cap he had been wearing was gone and he caught the scent of something burned.

"No, whenever they see us, they run away. We need to capture this one," he said hoping he wouldn't regret this. The past weeks the group that kidnapped the major's son had been popping up here and there, but they always tried to escape the moment they arrived.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but I agree with him," Kiran said over the communicator.

"Thanks Kiran, you are so sweet," Paco said back to her as his half burned eyebrow twitched.

"You can't face every threat with your abilities," this was an undercover mission. Use your powers, it was over.

"Not the best time for a learning moment _hombre," _Paco sighed but didn't question him any further.

"Kiran, there's a room in the back of the building that wasn't in the plans. Go investigate while we distract Fire Spark," he told her. Those guys had been working as muscle for the latest gangs that had moved into San Francisco.

"Alright," she said.

They had faced Fire Spark before; a woman with blond curled hair and extremely pale skin dressed in a wine-colored Lolita dress, matching flower on her hair and knee-high black boots. She possessed pyrokinesis and seemed to enjoy it a tad too much.

"Found them!" a red head said behind him, and another exact looking red head appeared behind Paco with a gun pointed at them.

"Get down!" he said pulling Paco down before Double Trouble could get them. Double Trouble had a vibrant red mullet, a green body tight suit with the division symbol on his chest. He was one man that could divide himself into many. They weren't illusions or anything else they had seen before. The man simply could divide himself into exact copies of himself. They had yet to determine how many he could make.

"Can I bla-" Paco started before he pulled him along.

"No! Run!" he said before spotting a door, "tackle it!"

"Gha!" Paco shouted as he tackled the door almost off its hinges. Once inside in what seemed to be a break room Paco pulled a group of lockers to block the door.

"Little rabbits, come out and play!" they heard Fire Spark sing song before the door started to turn red.

"Creep," Paco said before turning to him, "now what?"

"We need to find the original Double Trouble and knock him out. From what Kid Flash found, he usually hides and lets the copies do the dirty work" he had seen the copies attack them without fear of their own lives, but the moment they started getting close to the original he usually ran away. "Fire Spark it's a whole different story," she always tried to burn the place down anytime they were close to capturing her.

"I hate those guys," Paco said having fought some of them. The League and the Team had even less on them. They were a new group of Metas which were quickly becoming a thorn on the side of the Titans.

"Red, there's only records of shipments going to some cities," Kiran reported.

"Take pictures of them and leave. Meet us at the randevú point," she didn't realize it, but she had very important information.

"But what about you guys?" Kiran asked. He hoped she didn't do something stupid like going back for them.

"We will find a way," he told her confidently.

"We will?" Paco asked before he threw him a look, "right, we will."

"The air vents," he pointed up before Paco pulled one open.

"I don't fit in there," he said with a cringe.

"Just wait for my signal," he said jumping and getting in. He heard Paco laugh. So what if he hadn't hit his grow spurt? He was still in charge.

He made it behind Fire Spark and Double Trouble. Double Trouble was using his copies to keep Fire Spark from burning the place down while she complained that he was ruining her fun. With them distracted, he got the chance to find where the real Double Trouble was. He had memorized the plans of the building and knew the best place was the basement. He loved it when he was right. He found Double Trouble behind a heater talking to himself, not one of his copies but just himself.

"You are the real one; you are the real one, no! I am the real one!" he kept repeating to himself. He almost felt bad for knocking him out cold. This made his copies fade away.

"Thorax, now you can blast her," he said through the communicator before he heard Thorax's roar as he blasted out of the room and tackled Fire Spark.

"You won't ruin my fun!" he heard her screech as he was going up the stairs after securing Double Trouble with wire.

"What a hell!" he heard Thorax shout before something knocked him back and down the stairs. That really hurt, he thought as he got up. Then a draft hit him, almost making him lose his balance again. "Red! Did you see that?" Thorax flew downstairs with wide eyes.

"No," he said, but he thought that was the problem. He wouldn't be surprised if Double Trouble was gone.

888

Most of the Titans were in the briefing room trying to solve a puzzle with the information they had gained over time on the Metas that kidnapped the major's son. So far they had confrontations with Everyman who could change into anyone he wanted as long as he ate something of theirs, Mistress who they believed might be able to turn invisible, Fury who's nails could cut through almost everything, Double Trouble who could make solid copies of himself, Dark Star who could shoot deadly energy blasts from his hands, and Fire Spark who had pyrokinesis.

"I swear she changed! It was so weird," Paco said as he tried to describe what he saw, "she started to become shorter, her skin changed color, and her hair black and then she disappeared."

"It could be Everyman," Superboy suggested. They had also crossed paths with the shapeshifter.

"I doubt it. He usually needs more time to change. You said this happened in an instant," he said to Paco at the briefing room.

"And she didn't eat anything," Paco added, "she was busy trying to burn my ass off."

"So Fire Spark has other powers," he concluded, "which means they all could have."

"But why not use them earlier?" Blue asked.

"Because they are not what they seem to be," he said, "we know of another speedster."

He proceeded to show them a video they all had at least seen at least once in TV or somewhere else.

"Good running shoes are hard to come across," Trajectory said with a smile showing them a burned out pair of tennis shoes, "that's why I prefer S-Nickes." She put in the tennis shoes and was off running again.

"Seriously?" Kid Flash said looking at the ad online, "could I make money doing that?"

"Don't even think about it," Superboy said, "Thorax, what do you think?"

"She does look alike, for the exception of the whole 'I will burn you into a corpse' speech," Thorax said.

"Interesting fact," he said pulling another file to show in the screen, "Eliza Harmon has indeed been helping runaways in shelters, but before that she was also a runaway."

"Not helping," Leonid said.

"Two of the shelters she used to live in burned down without explanation," he said showing them the records.

"Oh," everyone in the room said.

888

"As if I didn't have enough having to listen to them every time I go patrolling," Superboy said as they stood at the top of a building in Metropolis, "They have been asking Lori nonstop for an interview. Told Superman he should get on with the times and hit on Supergirl."

"And she didn't hit them back?" he was impressed.

"I was close to letting her," Superboy said.

He thought that Luthor picked the most annoying of Infinity Inc. members to hang around Metropolis just to give the Supers a hard time.

"There's one in that direction," he said after spotting one of them with his binoculars.

"Skyman?" Superboy said cringing.

"Better than Nuklon," he couldn't help laughing.

"I guess," though Superboy didn't sound too sure.

He watched him fly not very fast and looking back at him every once in a while as if he was hoping he would change his mind.

"I hate you," Superboy said switching his communicator so that he could hear everything that was being said.

"Hey, little guy! You need tips to improve your flying?" Skyman asked him wearing a blue and red suit with three white stars on his chest. This was the man that told Superman he needed to get on with the times.

"No thanks, I want to talk to Trajectory," the speedster of Infinity Inc.

"Oh, I see… ehm, I mean, I have nothing against ehm clones, but she is kind of old for you," Skyman said with an awkward smile.

"No, Colby," Superboy said trying to keep his temper in check, "we were just wondering how she got her powers. Flash got them in an accident and we were worried she suffered from the same side effects as him."

"Side effects?" Skyman asked, his voice changed to a more serious tone.

"This is something Flash and Kid Flash would like to talk to her about. It is kind of private," Superboy said, "not everyone who has powers has them without side effects."

"I will definitely tell her to drop by Central City, but we are not allowed to talk about how we got our powers. We sort of signed a contract, you know?" Skyman's fake friendly tune returned.

"Oh yes, I forgot you are Luthor's employees," Superboy said with a sigh as if Infinity Inc. was no better than dogs on leashes.

"Now now kid," Skyman said flying forwards.

"Colby," Superboy said giving the grown man a superior look, "you can call me Kon El, but if you call me kid again I will throw you into the Thermosphere." Then Superboy flew back to him leaving the grown man speechless.

"She is not going to look for Kid Flash or Flash," he said as he tried to find the location of the speedster, but that was the problem with Speedsters. They usually didn't stay for long in the same place.

888

"They are perfect," Kid Flash said after helping him go over the files of Infinity Inc. one more time, "but that's the whole point, right? Luthor wanted the perfect civilians to get his message across."

"No one is that perfect," he said going over the records again. "Luthor is hiding something else."

"Whatever it is, we have to figure it soon. More people are signing up for the procedure every day," Kid Flash said.

888

"Why are we here again?" Celine asked as they tried to push their way forwards in the crowd "couldn't we just watch from afar?"

"Not this time," he said pulling her closer to him as it got harder to get ahead, "now listen to what is being said."

They got ahead of the crowd, right behind the fence. It was hard to tell, but the place was a park. However in that day, some members of Infinity Inc. were appearing in the park. People didn't know the reason why, but everyone was eager to get a glance at them as if they didn't have enough of the commercials, TV spots, and viral videos.

"I hate to admit it, but they are really good looking," Celine said when they spotted Vanilla, Amazing Man, and Nuklon standing in the middle of a stage waving at people and posing for pictures. Margaret Grooves, Erik Stron, and Gerome McKenna were indeed all very attractive people but they were acting. He read it in their body language and well-rehearsed words.

"You can start," he didn't hear but read Vanilla's lips as she gave a slight glance at Amazing Man.

"Thank you all for coming!" Amazing Man said before the crowd cheered.

"Don't stand out," he told Celine raising his arms too, she did too trying her best not to look annoyed as people pushed her against the fence.

"This park has seen some dark times, and today we will change that," Amazing man said with a thunderous voice.

There were more cheers and more pushing.

"Look around you, all of us together can make a difference. It isn't about the how, but the when and a goal. The when is today and today the goal is to improve this community starting now," Amazing Man said.

"That's stupid. Of course, the how matters," Celine said under her breath as people continued to cheer.

People stopped cheering the moment they spotted a chopper fly over them and start to lower an immense wooden crate. Once it landed and the chopper was gone Nuklon used his super strength to open it revealing everything they would need to fix up the park.

"Alright everyone, let's get to work!" Nuklon said taking a shovel and handing one to Vanilla.

The fence was removed, and people seemed uncertain at first, but little by little they started getting close and getting supplies.

"Should we leave?" Celine asked him.

"This is our chance," he told her before he went to get some supplies. She followed him closely as he was handed a few trash bags and gloves by Amazing Man.

"Here you go pretty lady," Nuklon said handing Celine a bag with seeds and a small shovel. His hand tracing the back of hers slowly, "come ask for more whenever you like."

"What a creep," Celine said once they were out of earshot.

888

He was surprised sometimes by how easy it was to get a drink when clearly you were underage. He paid the club enough to get a private booth for his companion and now they had all the privacy they needed. His companion was a woman that was probably the same age his mother would be, had she still been alive. Her bright blond hair showed some gray hairs and no matter how much makeup the woman wore the crow feet couldn't be hidden. Her clothes were fit for a young woman in her twenties looking to have a fun and dangerous night. Still, the woman seemed to prefer them over anything else out of habit.

"Gerome McKenna? I know him, but no one ever believes me," she said after taking a long sip from her drink.

"Why?" he asked her, serving her a little more.

"When you went looking for us you knew what we are. Who would believe us? That asshole used to come hassle us all the time, and sometimes he even got one of us and never paid, ever since he was as old as you probably," indeed, the woman was a prostitute and the only person who he could find willing to talk about Gerome McKenna who grew near the same neighborhood.

"You are sure of this?" he knew the drinks could be distorting her perception, but the way her dark eyes shone in the low light of the boot told him she was convinced of this.

"You don't forget someone like that. I thought it couldn't get as bad as him turning into a cop who brought his friends over. That bastard turned into a pig and then he turned into a cape. Life is so unfair, but at least, he isn't coming anymore. I don't even want to think what he would do to us with that strength," she visibly shuddered and rubbed her wrist. He saw faded scars on them which she tried to hide with colorful bracelets. He wondered what exactly he did to them besides not paying them.

"No one else will talk about him," he said looking to find a fault in the words of the woman.

"Because they are afraid," she said taking the next sip slower as if she wanted to get this out while her mind was still rational.

"And you are not?" he asked her. He knew alcohol made people do stupid things, but she had been very sober when she agreed to talk to him.

"I am an old whore, if I am lucky I will be able to continue making a living for another year, and then… well, nothing worse than death can happen," she said tipping her glass to get him to pour more for her.

888

"Once again, the day has been saved by Infinity Inc.! Woo! Those guys are amazing, and I should know. I am also amazing," Leslie Willis said over her latest radio broadcast.

"I can't stand her," Superboy said rolling his eyes. He didn't blame her. She threw a glass bottle to the back of his head as Conner Kent.

"So get this, so far these guys have helped to clean up three neighborhoods and are helping create a ton of youth centers!" Leslie said shouting every word, making most of those in their briefing cringe, especially the Supers with very sensible hearing.

"Two is not a ton," Blue sighed tiredly.

"When has the League or Teeeeen Titans ever done that?" Leslie said emphasizing on the new name people were using for them.

"The League has," Kid Flash said. The League had multiple youth groups around the country.

"Please turn that off," Superboy said not able to stand it anymore.

"It looks to me like they are doing plenty of good," Kiran said awkwardly.

"But they could also be _them,"_ Kyle said.

"Just based on something that Paco thought he saw?" Kiran countered.

"I know what I saw," Paco said crossing his arms.

"There is enough inconsistency for us to go ahead," he told them showing them the evidence they had gathered so far. Vanilla was supposed to be a nurse, but no one seemed to know who she was in the hospital she supposedly worked for the exception of one doctor who couldn't act to save his own life. Amazing man was a pharmaceutical scientist, but it also happened the company he worked for had unexplained loss of raw material during his time there. Nuklon was a cop, but a dirty one in more than one sense. Skyman was an airline pilot, but people usually tended to get hurt on the places he stayed. Trajectory was indeed a helper at a runaway home, but it also happened many of the kids 'left' without notice only to reappear in the underbelly of society, at top of that there was the fact that two of the runaway homes she lived in burned down.

888

If you were to ask where for the location of Infinity Inc.'s headquarters, almost everyone would tell you New York City. To be precise, they would say the top of a skyscraper owned by Luthor. This was, of course, a lie. The so called headquarters worked mainly for sleeping quarters, entertainment and appearances. The real headquarters were underground, a few buildings away that could be reached through an underground tunnel.

He wished he could find an entrance to sneak to and not have to deal with this. He didn't like waiting and the rest of their team liked it even less.

"You could end up with wings, or maybe psychic abilities, or maybe you could survive in space or-"

"Or with a monkey face."

"I want to fly, and just escape from everything."

"I want to super speed."

"You think they can do something about my acne?"

He and Conner shared a look after what they heard other people in line say, as Leonid tried not to laugh his ass off. Conner hit him with his elbow which got the blonde to quiet down.

"How much longer is this going to take? I am freezing," Leonid said rubbing his arms.

"Five minutes less than the last time you asked," Conner said leaning against the wall. They had barely moved in the line the past half hour. He knew he was more irritated than the rest since people seemed to somewhat recognize him. However, without the glasses, loose clothes and hunched posture they weren't so sure.

It seemed that all you needed to do to try for Infinity Inc was line up and take a few physical and psychological tests before being told if you were a good candidate or not. Those who were good got taken away immediately. When they finally made it to the door he saw a different screening but wasn't surprised. People with crime records were removed right away. The whole team passed after they got frisked for weapons. His tools were well hidden so none was detected.

" ," another screening, and each one of them presented their fake IDs. The security guard looked at some of them with a raised eyebrow, at him especially before letting them pass.

They were led to a large room where countless doctors were running medical checks on the candidates.

"Don't overdo it," he reminded them before they split up and went to take some of the tests as they also looked for a way to the back.

He headed to the blood sampling where he spotted Jaime at the very back. He, Paco and Kyle had gone ahead of them half an hour earlier.

"They are interested in Kyle and Paco," Jaime said disguising his words with a long yawn, "they had been rushed through the tests. It doesn't seem like they suspect anything."

He didn't reply as they moved on the line. He rubbed his arm, which was the signal that he agreed with him. Through his ear communicator disguised as an earring, he heard Celine confirm the information before she went ahead and updated the rest of the team. Supergirl, Solstice, Kid Flash, Tempest, and Bunker were all outside as their backup. Celine stayed in the tower monitoring the situation and giving them updates as needed.

He observed the people who were rejected and those who were accepted. There was a pattern to them and he disliked it. Luthor wanted a certain type of people and it wasn't skilled people. He had the feeling Paco would probably be rejected even though he was acing all of the tests.

"What a hell man! I am clean!"

"Sir, I will ask you to-"

"Like hell! I want to talk to your manager! You are only doing this because I am not-"

"Sir, I will not ask you again to leave."

He and Jaime watched as a young man tried to assault a doctor but he was stopped by security. It was disturbing how at ease they were with the task. They started taking him away, but not towards the exit. They were actually heading towards the same back door the selected ones disappeared into.

He had thought they could take Luthor down at least with racial profiling until he saw the man disappear.

"Kyle is been taken to the back door," Celine reported to everyone before Jaime took a deep breath. They still weren't sure if this would work or for how long. Not far, Paco was also getting ready. A moment later the two of them hid behind some of the medical curtains where they transformed partially before releasing strong electromagnetic impulses. All of their communicators died, but so did the lights. Every one of them rushed through the panicking crowd towards the back door where they found the door open and Kyle standing by an unconscious security guard.

None of them talked as those who needed to get rid of their civilian clothing took them off. They only kept their uniforms. Red Star burned the civilian clothing, and fake IDs, so no trace would be left of them.

Kyle, being a Lantern, offered all of the light they would need as they rushed down the hall and towards an elevator. Leonid forced the doors open before they jumped down towards the dark void. Once they reached the bottom they saw light and many armed men who started shooting at them at once. Superboy ripped the doors of the elevator and created a shield for them.

"Red Star," he said to the blond who nodded. He would be his direct support. Superboy and the rest would distract security to give them time if things got bad Lantern would tear open an escape for them.

"Infinity Inc. is arriving at the site," Blue said after getting the message from Celine through his armor.

Superboy hurled the elevator doors at the guards taking them by surprise before Lantern created a construct to split the guards by the middle so they could run through. A metallic door was ahead and he knew there would be more to come.

Red Star started to shine as his body was covered with flame like energy. It wasn't fire, but some sort of energy Superboy compared to that of a red sun, which meant they couldn't usually work together. Celine described it as extremely potent and clean. He wasn't sure just potent until he saw Red Star melt the door as if it was wax to a flame in a few seconds. Even as he ran through the hole he could feel the intense heat. They were running through the tunnel that led to Infinity Inc.'s real headquarters. On the way, they saw more guard and they would have been at advantage hadn't he packed smoked bombs.

Between him and Red Star they broke through the altered guards until they reached the end of the long tunnel and met with another heavy duty door. Red Star smirked as he broke through it once again with ease before darts were shot at them. He had to step back because Red Star started emanating more energy which melted the darts before they could reach them. The two men who shot them looked authentically scared before they dropped their weapons. He didn't blame them, Red Star's eyes were shining a vivid red color. He was fast to knock them out before they broke through the next door into another hall, where emergency lights were blinking on the walls.

The hall was full of doors and windows that allowed them to see what was going on inside. He kept his eyes ahead knowing after one small glance that he would be sick if he stared for too long.

"This is hell," he heard Red Star say as he followed closely behind him. "We have to help them."

"We will," he said, "but we need to shut the operation down."

"Some of them look like they are dying now," Leonid said stopping altogether. He knew it was too close to what happened to Leonid, and Kiran back in El Paso for him to be able to wait.

He turned around and saw what he saw. Countless men and women floating in tubes in multiple states of mutation, some he was sure were already dead as their bodies couldn't stand the transformation. Others were in cages, turned into feral creatures. He feared there was no way to save them.

"They need specialists," he told Red Star, "if we move them, we might actually be doing more damage than good."

"But we can't just-"

"I know," he said handing him a fistful of tracers. "Luthor will try to get rid of them once we expose him. These will alert us of their movement. Go and place them."

Red Star stared at him with an unreadable expression before he nodded. He hoped he wouldn't come to regret his decision as he went to the control room on his own. Once there, he kicked the door open and jumped on the lone guard before knocking him out. He switched the cameras to stop recording but continued active so he could keep an eye on Red Star. He started copying file after file of every single one of the subjects. Luthor was forcing Metagenes into people putting their cellular structure under stress. This took a toll not just on their bodies, but their psyche as well. Countless of the men and women out there were beyond their help, their minds had been ripped to shreds. Then, he got to the true records of the current members of Infinity Inc.

"Red," Blue appeared at the door a few minutes later, "Infinity Inc. is almost here. They are pushing us- what the hell is that!"

"That's how they do it," he said as he fast forwarded the video of the transformation. The man started as Nuklon, but then his skin started to shrivel in mere seconds before it started reforming, taking a new tone. His eyes which had rolled to the back of his head returned no longer brown, but green, and his hair went from black to red and to shoulder length. All the while he screamed as if he was being ripped apart. Nuklon was, in reality, Double Trouble. He had already seen the same happen to most. Skyman turned out to be Dark Star. Trajectory was as they suspected Fire Spark but due to her speed her transformation went by faster. And Amazing Man turned into Fury, which really took him by surprise as Fury was female. The only ones missing were Vanilla who he suspected was, in reality Mistress, and then Everyman remained a mystery.

"That's just wrong," Blue said as they rushed to the rest. He had no idea. According to the data, they found the process only worked in one of every fifty subjects who already had a variation of the Meta-gene. Still, this didn't stop them from experimenting with people who didn't have the gene. Then, there were the transformations, which were done by forcing the genes of other Metahumans on to them, creating the double identities but also damaging the minds of the subjects even further.

"Sorry guys, they were attacking us with everything, and the cops weren't helping," Kid Flash said as they all met at the only entrance to the labs. Beyond he saw Lantern, Supergirl, and Tempest holding them back but they were losing ground fast. He saw Bunker create a wall between Supergirl and Nuklon when he threw drew out a piece of Kryptonite. She flew backward and at a safe distance before Solstice took her place.

"They are shutting down the life support!" Red Star shouted before Blue flew to where he was trying to bring them back on. Blue placed his hands on the control panel and tried to override the orders barely making it on time.

"We can't leave," Superboy said knowing that if they did they wouldn't just kill those people, but also blame it on them.

"It has to end now," he said before the rest looked at him with concern.

"The streets are full of people," Bunker was the first one to speak, "it's too dangerous."

"You, Lantern and Supergirl will work on that," he told Bunker who looked more worried.

"Let's get it over with then," Superboy said before motioning to Lantern to pull back, only for Thorax to take his place. The moment he, Superboy and Kid Flash stood forwards the attack stopped.

"You kids really messed up now," Nuklon said with a gloating smile, "all of this is being broadcasted right now, without the sound of course. You will be locked up in Van Hull, Iron Heights, and the craziest in Belle Reve and Arkham."

"We have proof of what you have done, and who you really are," he said with confidence before a fist landed on his jaw throwing him back.

"You mean this?" Trajectory said before destroying the memory, "you got nothing kid."

888

"These are their true colors!" Godfrey shouted as he slammed his hands on his desk and leaned forwards, "they can't stand a little of competition and put all of us in danger; our children, our families, friends; everyone! Wake up and see these so called heroes for what they really are!"


End file.
